The Cabinet of Ministers has given the nod for the program to increase the number of national schools in the country to 1,000.

The Government Information Department said the program is expected to be implemented in three phases.

During the recent Cabinet meeting, Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris has presented a proposal to develop one selected Provincial Council school as a national school in each of the 123 Divisional Secretariat Divisions where there are no national schools. This will accordingly be the first phase of the program.

Under the second phase, 673 schools selected on the basis of identified criteria as national schools.

Meanwhile, the third phase will see the further development of existing 373 national schools.

Policy approval was granted by the Cabinet of Ministers on the 10th of December 2019 to implement an appropriate program to establish 1,000 new national schools covering all Divisional Secretariats.