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| Sunday, 14 December 2003 |
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Peace education given priority by Shanika Sriyananda Peace education has been given a top priority in the LTTE's report for upgrading the 'lost' educational system in the North and the East. The Education Council of the LTTE intends to help non-governmental organisations to launch properly designed educational programs on peace for schoolchildren, the Council sources told the 'Sunday Observer'. Stressing the importance of peace education, V. Illankumaran, the Director General of the Council, said at a meeting with officials of Department of Education held in Kilinochchi, last week, that their main aim was to restore the neglected education sector in the province in a peaceful and free Sri Lanka. "We earnestly appeal to everyone for their involvement and support to achieve this", he said. "Most of children have lost their parents and loved ones. They have also lost the breadwinners of their families and are in extreme poverty. Majority of them beg for their living. Firstly, they should be given what they have lost and that will teach them the values of a peaceful environment", he said. Illankumaran blamed certain NGOs for introducing peace education in Colleges of Education in a haphazard way. "It should be done carefully and thoughtfully. The children in the North and East are segregated and know only the damage and destruction brought by the conflict. Peace education should not aggravate hatred instead of peace and harmony among them", he pointed out. He pointed out that the education achievement rate was very low in the province due to deprivation, the damage and the destruction of the education system. "There should be a sound education system not only for the benefit of children affected by the conflict but also the handicapped and disabled children in institutions such as 'Nuffield School' in Jaffna, which suffers badly due to shortage of teachers, equipment and buildings", Illankumaran said. According to Council sources, 309 schools in the North do not have more than four teachers and number of such schools in the East is 227. A special unit to provide training in multigrade and multilevel teaching to all teachers is an urgent need, sources said. Over 144 schools have been uprooted and functioning in different locations and 156 schools have been permanently closed down. The council urged the government to re-open the closed schools and shift them to original locations. The council sources also said that the shortage of Tamil medium teachers was 4,026 and 158 teachers in Sinhala medium in the province. "The teachers vacancies have not been filled since the establishment of the provincial council and Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Thunukkai, Vavuniya North and Madhu are the worst affected zones, where more than 35 per cent approved cadre is not filled", Illankumaran queered as to why there is an excess of 14,000 teachers in other areas. "Our experience in the past is that the teachers appointed to these most effected areas refuse to come or influence the authorities and get transfers to other areas which they prefer", he added. He also stressed the need of introducing courses in the fields of income generation. According to him school workshops have been damaged along with the equipment and present teachers lack the proper training. Illankumaran claimed the universities and technical colleges for producing unemployable graduates and technicians. "These institutions have not given enough consideration to requirements of the present local and foreign job markets. The Council appreciated the UNICEF's catch-up program to bring the children back to school. It also stressed the need of introducing professional based vocational education programs for these children, who are displaced, dropped out completely from schools and without proper jobs. |
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