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Schools in Matara closed

by Anjana Gamage

Elilavan LTTE political leder for Vavuniya, hands over a package of emergency milk food to Malani Premaratne, Divisional Secretary, Ratnapura on Friday. Also in the picture are Anbarasan propaganda leader and member of LTTE Central Committee and P. Chandrasehekaran, Minister, Community Development.

The Ministry of Education on Friday ordered that all schools in the Matara District be closed for an indefinite period.

The order comes in the wake of an outbreak of diarrhoea in the district following the devastation caused by the floods.

The Ministry has also instructed Zonal and Provincial Education Directors to take necessary action to close schools in other flood affected areas, should diarrhoea or any other water/vector borne disease spread to these areas.

The Epidemiology Unit (EU) of the Ministry of Health yesterday warned that diarrhoea was spreading in the Matara district and warned the public in flood affected areas to boil water before drinking.

Nine people have already been detected with diarrhoea and five of them have been admitted to the Akuressa Hospital and others at the Matara hospital. Of the total, four are from temporary camps. A team from the EU comprising senior epidemiologists have visited the area to take immediate preventive measures to avoid the spread of diarrhoea, typhoid, hepatitis, dengue and other mosquito borne diseases.

Most of the schools in other flood affected areas have been closed since the last Monday, owing to the floods. According to Minister Karu Jayasuriya, who is also the head of the Government's disaster management team, no decision has been made as to when the school will be opened.

Meanwhile, the devastating floods and landslides that rendered close to half a million people homeless in Ratnapura, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Hambantota also exacted its toll among school children, with more than 40 students reported killed, several more reported missing, more than 100,000 students displaced and over 300 schools destroyed.

According to police sources in Ratnapura, 25 students from Sri Ratnakara Maha Vidyalaya in Udu Niriella, Ratnapura are still missing and only five bodies have been found so far. Police believe most of the students may have got buried in the landslide at Ellapatha, in Abeyapura village.

According to the Ministry of Education, the floods have displaced more than 100,000 students in the five districts with Matara, Galle and Hambanthota districts accounting for more than 50,000 of them.

Over 300 schools in Ratnapura, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, and Kalutara have also been destroyed. Ninety schools have been completely washed away due to flood waters and landslides.

The Ministry sources say there are no signs of the school building. Homes of thousands of teachers have also been destroyed.

A three member committee including Director of National Schools P.H.P. Geeganage, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Education Indrani Kariyawasam and the Commissioner of Book Publication S.L. Gunewardena was appointed last week by the Minister of Human Resources, Education and Cultural Affairs Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku to further investigate the devastation caused by the flood.

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