LTTE disrupts school sessions more than twenty five times and forces uniform-clad children out

The public outrage over Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been fast mounting up over the LTTE's continuing practice of disruption of school sessions and deployment of uniform-clad schoolchildren in LTTE instigated protests and other violent acts, directed solely against Security Forces in the North and East of the country, the Defence Ministry states in a media release.

The LTTE, during the first quarter of this year alone has disrupted school sessions more than 25 times either by making uniform-clad children wander around the streets to sympathise with LTTE instigated moves or disrupting school study sessions by way of agitations organised either inside or outside the school premises.

An estimated 2,400 students in the northern Jaffna peninsula from 25 schools, during the period under reference have been forced to walk along the streets under the warmth of the sun at least more than twenty times, regardless of many appeals extended to the LTTE against such practices. Similarly, a roughly estimated 500 schoolchildren from four schools in the East had to undergo the same episode four times in the same period after LTTE men forced school authorities to toe the LTTE line and let children walk the streets.

In many instances, even members of the tutorial staff (teachers) and principals (heads) of those schools have been forced to join those LTTE manoeuvres after making them to team up with those students, which is extremely unacceptable in Sri Lankan traditions. LTTE organisers, in many instances, mobilised and twisted those children to shout filthy remarks at the Police and Security Forces.

On many occasions, school sessions at Achchuveli Schools, St. Theresa's School in Achchuveli, Kodikamam Maha Vidyalaya (school) and the Government School in Nallur were disrupted. Those are a few among those schools worst affected or completely disrupted due to arbitrary actions of the LTTE. Most of those students have been ordered to use provocative language against Security Forces and the Police in the North, apparently in a desperate attempt to regain the LTTE's losing popularity and credibility among the masses.

The LTTE has also forced out over 1,200 students from Jaffna Hindu College, Siva Prakash College and Nelliady Central College along with their members of the tutorial staff to celebrate a so-called "Tamil Eelam Students' Day" last year despite protests.

Heads in some of the schools were forced to attend LTTE organised events, lectures or observe different LTTE commemorations with their students. This was what happened in Nallur, Delft Island, Soruvil, Point Pedro, Mannar, Velvettiturai and Udupillai schools after forcing children to abandoned their studies from time to time.

School Heads and many teachers are being forced to keep mum about what was going on since they are conscious of brutal LTTE reprisals. Irate parents and civil community leaders on numerous occasion have expressed concern over LTTE acts of forced participation of schoolchildren and their teachers in those LTTE manoeuvres, but to no avail. Repeated requests to LTTE, on the other hand from educational authorities over the same issue, have also fallen on deaf ears since LTTE gun-culture has taken an upper hand.

However, concerned parents and heads of civil society since of recent times have brought the matter to the attention of Regional Educational Directors and Colombo-based authorities. For Jaffna parents, studies of children should go on uninterrupted, no matter what goes around in society.

In at least one or two instances, school principals were humiliatingly ordered by LTTE to commemorate Anna Poopathy Day in Trincomalee and Batticaloa areas. Likewise, over 300 students, for no fault of theirs, were made to walk along the streets in Sevanapitiya area recently after an LTTE rival faction men gunned down two LTTE men of Prabhakaran faction. Parents who stormed the venue to take their children back home were also detained in order to create a different public view, particularly in this instance.

The latest LTTE moves on schoolchildren were reported from Nallur (May 12) and Batticlaoa (May 9) areas after unfortunate death of a civilian in Sandiliveli during an LTTE protest. Over 150 students from two schools were forced to jeer or pelt stones at Security Forces, engaged in their routine duties while they were in uniforms.

The schools involved are:

Nelliady Central College, Sivaprakash College, Jaffna Hindu College, Sivaguru College (Velvettithurai), Velvettithurai Vavai Mahaliya College, Nelliady Gopalapuram Vidyalaya, Kodikamam Maha Vidyalaya, Thlvulpadu Tamil School, Al-Azar Maha Vidyalaya (Uppukaran), St. Lucia's Maha Vidayalaya (Mallamunai), Siththivinayanagar Hindu College, Igambara College, Soruvil Government School, Nallur Government School, Valvai Mahliyar Maha Vidyalaya, Jaffna Periyakulam Maha Vidyalaya, Chundikkuli Ladies College, Achchuveli School, St. Theresa's School, Mannar Alazar Maha Vidyalaya, Sevenapitiya Maha Vidyalaya, Palathadichenai Vidyalaya, Uduppili Ladies College, Sidambaram College, American Mission College, Wadu Hindu College, Madveli Kamalasan Vidyalaya, Sittandy Sittivinaygar Vidyalaya and Vavuniya Tamil Maha Vidyalaya are among those schools that have been affected in the recent past because of LTTE infiltration into education sphere.