The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to provide a pair of shoes to selected school students, Pirivena lay and ordained students, and Sīlamātās under a nationwide programme for 2027.

The initiative builds on the 2026 program, which was implemented under two phases and covered 836,571 students. For 2027, the program is scheduled to be completed by the end of the third school term of 2026.

According to the proposal presented by the Prime Minister, in her capacity as the  Minister of Education, shoes for students in the Western, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern, and North Western provinces will be purchased directly from local manufacturers and delivered to schools. 

In the Central, Northern, North Central, and Uva provinces, shoes will be procured from the market.

Each eligible student will receive a voucher worth Rs. 3,000 to facilitate the distribution. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Industries have signed an agreement to provide schoolchildren with locally manufactured shoes free of charge.

According to the Ministry of Industries, a pilot project will be implemented to distribute standard-quality, locally produced school shoes in place of the vouchers currently given to schools with fewer than 250 students.

The agreement was signed today (01 Jan) at the Ministry of Education under the patronage of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, between the Ministry of Industries, the Ministry of Education, and nine local shoe manufacturing companies.

This pilot project will cover 1,302 schools in the Western and Southern Provinces, benefiting 150,521 schoolchildren, as well as 12,146 students and laywomen from 354 Pirivena institutions. The local manufacturers agreed to provide shoes with a one-year warranty at a cost of Rs. 2,100 per pair, which is expected to save approximately Rs. 140 million overall.

For this project, only local shoe manufacturers registered with the Ministry of Industries were selected as suppliers. 

These manufacturers also agreed to visit the selected schools and provide shoes that fit the children’s sizes, the ministry added. (Newswire)

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A pilot project has been launched to provide locally manufactured, high-quality school shoes instead of vouchers currently issued to students in schools with fewer than 250 students.

The initiative was discussed today at the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development under the aegis of the subject minister, Sunil Handunneththi. 

Under the pilot phase, 145,723 students from 1,266 schools in the Western and Southern Provinces will receive locally made shoes.

Local manufacturers have agreed to supply pairs of standard-quality shoes with a one-year warranty at a cost of Rs. 2,100 per pair, enabling the government to save nearly Rs. 140 million. The savings will be used to provide shoes to an additional 62,481 students in the two provinces.

Only registered local footwear manufacturers will be selected as suppliers. They have also agreed to visit schools directly to provide shoes in the correct sizes for students.

The meeting was attended by Ministry Secretary Thilaka Jayasundara, senior officials of the Industries and Education Ministries, the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Domestic Product Manufacturing, and representatives of local footwear companies. (Newswire)

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