Sajith vows to secure foreign aid to develop North and East

• Stresses the need for changing school curriculum to suit the changing world

By Yohan Perera   

Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa pledged to hold a special international donor conference in the North before the end of the year with a view of getting foreign assistance to develop the North and the East.   

Mr. Premadasa made this pledge at a ceremony held in St. Joseph’s High School in Mannar over the weekend.   

“North and the East Provinces have been subjected to step motherly treatment where the development is concerned. We promise to end this bad era and will bring development to the North and the East. We will therefore hold an international donor conference in the North before the end of this year with a view to obtain foreign assistance for the development of both the North and the East,” he said.   

Whilst highlighting that Northern fishermen are facing various issues, Mr. Premadasa pledged to initiate a dialogue with relevant heads of state in order to find a solution to these issues, “We are aware that fishermen in Mannar and in the North as a whole have been facing various issues for a long time. I will negotiate with the relevant foreign heads of state with a view of bringing a permanent solution to these issues,” he said in this regard.   

The leader of opposition stressed the need for changing school curriculum to suit the changing world. “It is time to teach children modern technologies such as artificial intelligence, genomics, virtual reality and augmented reality. We will convert all schools in the country to smart schools,” he said.