School canteens to be raided

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor.

The Health Ministry in collaboration with the Education Ministry will to conduct regular raids at government school canteens islandwide from the academic year 2014 to see whether school canteens sell eatables made of wheat flour and soft drinks to students.

The sale of these eatables has been banned in school canteens and the Ministry of Education has already issued a special circular to all heads of schools not to allow school canteens to sell these as medical experts have found that many schoolchildren have become victims of physical disorders due to consuming these very often.

Twenty percent of student population is reported to be suffering from diabetes and parents too have been adequately educated over this problem.

Around 35 PHIs who are trained over supervising eating-houses would be deployed by the NWP Department of Health services to supervise government school canteens in Kurunegala and Puttalam Districts of the NWP next year.

Over 1100 school heads and Deputy Principals have been educated on the preventive measures taken to overcome this tragic trend by now, said W.M. Balasooriya, the Director of Education in Kurunegala at a meeting of school heads and pirivena heads of the Kurunegala district held recently.