Collapse of school roof not our responsibility: Akila

Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said yesterday the ministry was not responsible for the collapse of the roof of a school in Kandy.

He said it was the result of the provincial councils not adhering to the criteria set by the ministry.

The minister said his ministry had decided to develop 7,000 schools out of the 10,161 schools under the concept of "nearest is the best school" on the recommendations of responsible authorities, but the stipulated criteria in selecting schools under this concept had been changed by some of the provincial councils.

In response to a question asked by UNP MP Lucky Jayawardane, the minister said the ministry had called for a report from the provincial councils on this matter.

"There cannot be buildings with thatched roofs or in a dilapidated state. This has happened due to the bad practice adopted by some of the provincial councils," he said. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)