Govt. lowers minimum educational requisite to Grade 8

In a bid to expand government job opportunities to the most deprived and neglected sections in society, the cabinet yesterday decided to lower the minimum qualifications to Grade 8 for employment in the proposed Multi Purpose Development Task Force (MPDTF) of 100,000 members, cabinet spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardana said.

Initially, the cabinet had proposed GCE O/L as the minimum educational qualifications for those seeking employment opportunities in the MPDTF.

Minister Gunawardana told the weekly cabinet news briefing today that the youth recruited mainly from the rural areas will be given a six months of training on their chosen skills like masonry, carpentry, plumbing, gardening etc and will be paid a monthly salary of Rs. 30,000 including all perks and benefits entitled to a public servant.

“This project would provide an opportunity to under educated youths in the rural sector to make a contribution to develop his or her village while drawing a steady and handsome income. They will be mainly employed at infrastructure development work like renovation or reconstruction of roads, culverts, tanks, tank bunds, drains etc.

All applicants selected for the MPDTF would be from Samurdhi recipient families. They would get a salary of Rs. 30,000 minimum a month instead of less than Rs. 5,000 they get as Samurdhi benefits. I believe this is the best strategy to alleviate poverty in the rural sector,” Minister Gunawardana stressed.

The proposal has been made by Minister Chamal Rajapaksa.

The cabinet has also given the green light to a proposal by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to build a house in each Grama Niladhari Division numbering 140,022 and vested it with the most poverty stricken family of that division. (Sandun A Jayasekera)

Pix by Kithsiri De Mel