More school human rights units soon

Mohammed NAALIR

COLOMBO: Following the success of the human rights units established in Galkiriyagama Central College and Andiyagala Maha Vidyalaya in the Anuradhapura district, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has planned to expand the programme of setting up such units in other parts of the country too, HRC’s Review and Monitoring Division Director Thilini Rajapakse told the Daily News.

Accordingly the NHRC will set up human rights units in the Ratnapura, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Hambantota and Matara districts shortly.

Rajapakse said that creating awareness among school children on child rights and fundamental human rights is important in the present context. She further said that utmost importance will be given to the concept of human rights and the Department of Education too has included human rights as a subject in the school curriculum.

Through the setting up of such units in schools the Human Rights Commission hopes to protect and safeguard the fundamental rights of the students, their families and their neighbours and also to create a disciplined society.

The school human rights units will help the Commission collect information on child violation cases and the present human rights situation in rural areas.

The Galkiriyagama Central College Human Rights unit is functioning smoothly and very effectively in collaboration with the Galkiriyagama police and the students are keen participants in the programme.

They have identified several problems affecting their school such as the delay of school buses, the shortage of teachers for certain subjects.

These issues have been brought to the attention of the Commission.