Moral development societies in schools soon

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor.

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena, has instructed Provincial Directors of Education islandwide to set up moral development societies in all government schools with immediate effect. This move is to prevent school students from engaging in immoral and anti-social activities due to misdirection of anti-social elements prevailing at present in the country. These moral development societies would be set up in schools.

These societies will comprise senior school teachers, deputy principals, religious dignitaries, prefects, past pupils and divisional secretaries of respective areas.

Many students have been found guilty of thefts, drug-related offences, child abuse, murder and other form of violence such as sexual harassments of teenagers.

Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that steps would be taken to educate school heads extensively on this issue and parents too would be apprised of the need to keep vigilant on the safety of children. Accordingly, a senior official of the NWP Provincial Education Department in Kurunegala said that 1200 school heads in Kurunegala and Puttalam Districts would be educated on this program.

Over "1020 incumbents of Buddhist temples in the NWP would be consulted to obtain guidance on this subject".