Unpaid bills halt SchoolNet

The SchoolNet Online Educational System, which provides free Internet access to 2,800 government schools, has come to standstill because of the non-payment of bills by the Education Ministry.

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said it was a month since the online system, which facilitates studies by accessing reference materials, tutorials, emails and other educational programmes, had been stopped its services.

He said Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam had promised the CTU that arrangements would be made to settle the outstanding payments so that Internet facilities to the 2,800 schools could be resumed.

“The monthly bill of each of the 2,800 schools was some Rs.7, 000 to 9,000 paid by the ministry.

The minister told us that the facilities will be resumed in two to three weeks after discussions between the Minister Kariyawasam and Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando on a new data package worth Rs.1,500 providing more internet data access,” Mr. Stalin said.

Sri Lanka Telecom is the infrastructure and service provider for SchoolNet. Each school is connected to SchoolNet VPN at different access speeds based on the current requirements. (Piyumi Fonseka)