The Minister of Education; Mr. Akila Viraj Kariyawasam has drawn firm attention about the media reports on the school-age children who do not go to school and are staying at home in an era where the free education has been established amidst the grants of free uniforms, text books and Suraksha Insurance.
As stated by the Minister, the fact that the school education has been compulsory for all children of Sri Lanka is a simple matter that should be known by even the public servants and provincial public servants at village level.
Minister questions whether it is a part of the duties of the officers at village level to take appropriate actions to identify the parents who are not in a position to give school education to their children due to poverty or any other reasons and act appropriately.
Minister further says that the officers come across with many opportunities to identify such needy families during the implementation of social services on behalf of poor communities. If the children who do not go to school are guessed and identified, the possibilities are available to take actions to give them a suitable school by informing the relevant Divisional Director of Education.
At a juncture of implementing a national program such as “Nearest School is the best school” with an allocation of a huge amount of money for the assurance of the quality of school education, if the media or any source says about the children who have never gone to school, the officers do not have any obstruction to take the best step to admit such children to school. Also, the Minister says that they have a full right in that regard.
The Minister conveys his appreciation to all mass media that fulfill their duties by reporting the information being excluded from narrow objectives on behalf of the betterment of the children of the nation.
