Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya has instructed officials to submit a comprehensive report within one week on the condition of every school affected by Cyclone Ditwah, stressing the need for accurate data to support recovery efforts and ensure continuity in education.
The directive was issued during a special discussion on plantation sector schools held in Parliament on Tuesday (09), where attention focused on the impact of the cyclone on schools in the Central, Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces.
The meeting reviewed damage caused to plantation sector schools, ongoing restoration measures, land ownership issues, teacher shortages, school development projects and the relocation of schools that had been fully or partially damaged.
Minister Samantha Vidyarathna said the Government had already initiated measures to restore affected schools. However, the discussion revealed shortcomings in coordination between the line ministry and provincial authorities in gathering accurate information on the extent of the damage.
Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister said obtaining reliable data was essential to ensure effective intervention.
“Merely assigning children from affected schools to other schools does not resolve the issue. We need to determine whether those children are actually attending school, whether they are receiving an education, and what difficulties they are experiencing,” she said.
The Prime Minister noted that some students who had been assigned to alternative schools had not reported for classes and called for urgent follow-up to identify and support those children.
“We must urgently find out what has happened to those children. Immediate attention should also be given to the establishment of temporary schools,” she said.
Amarasuriya instructed the Education Ministry to work closely with the officer responsible for plantation sector schools and strengthen coordination with Provincial Directors of Education and Provincial Council officials to collect accurate information. She also called on Members of Parliament to actively support the process.
The Prime Minister further said the Government is taking steps to address teacher shortages in Tamil-medium schools by recruiting and training Tamil-speaking teachers.
“We are taking steps to train Tamil-speaking teachers separately to address the teacher shortages in Tamil-medium schools,” she said, adding that 50% of existing teacher vacancies in provincial schools would be filled during the current recruitment round.
According to the Prime Minister, newly appointed teachers will be required to serve in their assigned schools for five years.
She also reiterated the Government’s commitment to ensuring uninterrupted 13-year education for children in plantation sector schools while expanding opportunities for Tamil-language vocational education. (Newswire)
