Child Protection Committees in schools

S.M. Wijayaratne- Kurunegala Daily News Corr.

The Education Ministry in collaboration with the National Child Protection Authority has made arrangements to set up School Child Protection Committees in all government schools in the country.

Education Ministry Secretary H.M. Gunasekara has instructed all Provincial Directors of Education in a circular to direct all school Heads and Pirivena Heads to form these Child Protection Committees. The committees should consist of head prefects, senior teachers who have won the hearts of students and parents as office-bearers.

The main objective of setting up of these committees is to protect schoolchildren from all types of abuses within school premises during school sessions.

The school principal, teachers and the other parties in the school are responsible for safety of students.

All school heads and the office-bearers should maintain close links with the coordinators of the National Child Protection Authority who have been appointed at district level to do away with child abuse cases, the circular has instructed.