Education Minister warns on open air lessons

Minister of Education Susil Premajayanth has issued special instructions to all heads of Government Schools in the island not to allow assistant teachers to conduct classes at unsafe places and in the open air for students. Since most school teachers in remote areas in the country are in the habit of holding classes for students under trees and in other unsafe places.

This type of conducting classes resulted in the tragic deaths of a lady teacher and a school girl of Thirugnana Samipanther school in Vavuniya recently. They were killed when a branch of a tree under which they were studying crashed down.

Following this tragic incident, the Minister Susil Premajayanth has issued these instructions not to have classes in the open air at unsafe places. Minister of Education has instructed the Northern Provincial educational authorities to pay compensation for the this loss of these two lives at the earliest opportunity.

The Asst. Director of Education in Kurunegala K. A. Sumanasiri revealed these facts to the Daily News.