Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the process of making the nearest school the best school has not become a reality in society.

He said parents are under pressure to enrol their children in popular schools and as a remedy, it has become imperative to build schools with all facilities outside the city.

The minister was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a girls’ school in the Kandy Digana - Rajawella area under the Green and Smart School Concept. The Central Provincial Education Ministry will spend Rs.500 million for this under the first phase. The school is scheduled to open in 2022.

The Minister said education has been given priority in the President’s ‘Vision of Prosperity’ manifesto and the construction of such schools will make the programme a reality. There are about 10,156 schools in the country, of which 370 are national schools, he said, adding that plans are on to increase the number of national schools to 1,000.

He said that out of the total number of schools, there are 3,000 schools with less than 100 students and 700 schools with less than 50 students.