(1) It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to provide educational opportunity at state expense for the dependent children of those servicemembers killed in the crash of a military transport airplane in Gander, Newfoundland, on December 12, 1985, while returning from Mideast peacekeeping duties in the Sinai Desert, which servicemembers entered the military service from this state. A certified copy of a death certificate shall be prima facie evidence of the fact that the dependent children of the servicemembers are eligible for such benefits.
