Admit tsunami-hit children, principals told

Sandasen Marasinghe

School principals have been instructed to take measures to admit children displaced by the tsunami disaster change of residence of students affected by the disaster will not be an obstacle as measures are afoot to absorb them to schools in close radius to the present residencies.

All Provincial Directors of Education have been instructed by the Education Ministry Secretary M. M. N. D. Bandara to keep school principals informed on the outcome of the discussion with the Director of Tsunami Affected Area Rehabilitation Project and Secretary to the Justice and Law Reforms Ministry Suhada Gamlath with regard to the educational problems of the children in tsunami affected areas.

Gamlath said they learnt at ‘Problem Solving Workshops’ under the Tsunami Affected Areas Rebuilding Project (TAARP) that the residences of the children displaced due to the tsunami disaster have changed and the students have to attend the same school attended before the tsunami disaster.

Gamlath observed that as a result, those children were compelled to face travel difficulties like long distance to attend schools, incur considerable amount of money on travelling, non availability of transport facilities, lack of security and spend longer time on travelling.

He also stated that admission of students to grade one in schools, parents faced inconvenience since they were unable to confirm the required period of the occupation in the residence in the new address.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Education has also instructed to help uplift the educational standards of such children by providing the reports pertaining to the necessity of financial sponsorship for education of the children affected by the tsunami.