School children need extracurricular activities - Education Minister

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha last week highlighted the importance of school children engaging themselves in extracurricular activities in addition to their school work.

He said if children are confined to textbooks with the aim of succeeding in only in examinations, they will be isolated by others who have a vast experience in education and other extracurricular activities.

Pointing out that he has already emphasised this fact at a school function in the Southern Province, Premajayantha told the Junior Observer that it is not only teachers, but also parents who must encourage children to take part in social activities and sports, to develop their skills as well as knowledge outside textbook education.

"The children must be deployed to organise school and village level religious, cultural and social activities as they have ideal means of developing the character of the younger generation.

He also urged teachers to organise their annual educational tours to places of importance in the country, so that the younger generation could acquire a sound knowledge on the country, its environment, the ongoing development programmes and the social life of people."Due to the lack of extracurricular activities, many children today have lost even moral values, and this grave situation will become a problem not only for them in their future activities, but also to their parents", the Minister said. The Minister urged teachers to take students on excursions to places such as airports, power stations, ports and botanical gardens to gain a good knowledge of how these places operate and learn the important role such places play in the development of the country.

More WB funds for Northern schools

With the objective of supporting ongoing projects in the Northern Province, the World Bank has pledged Rs.300 million to the Government.

The province has already received Rs.33 million which has been distributed among over 1000 schools within the province to conduct the specially designed quality improvement program under the directives of the principals. The World Bank will release the money in phases to be used for repairing and reconstructing damaged schools, purchasing computers, constructing labs and setting up a training centre for teachers in Vavuniya South.

In addition, 30 Isuru schools are to be set up in the Northern Province.

Two- hundred schools have already been identified to set up computer labs in the initial stage.

Around 484 schools are in need of computers.

News briefs

* With the onset of the monsoons, the number of dengue cases was expected to increase. The Head of the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry, Dr. Paba Palihawardane said the number of cases reported in March 1,790 was less compared to the number of cases in February which totalled 4,542. However, the monsoon rains in April-May could trigger an increase, she warned.

* Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Patali Champika Ranawaka declared open the first ever road lane for cyclists along the Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Kotte on March 30.

The Minister stressed the need to promote the concept of green transport in Sri Lanka which is in force in other countries too. With the year 2011 being declared 'National Cyclists Year', the Ministry is planning to open similar lanes in every city. The project is implemented under the Haritha Lanka programme which focuses on creating a greener Sri Lanka.

The small but funny animated trio-Alvin and the Chipmunks have now passed the half century mark! More than 50 years after the mischievous trio was created as a novelty song, they have squeaked up a one billion US dollar empire of more than 45 million records, TV shows and live action movies.

September	October
Left to right: Duvindi Illankoon, Chathuranga Shyamal Udawatta, Ahanya Loganathan, U. S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Patricia Butenis, Zara Sanderson, Zafra Fuaiz, Michelle Joanne David, Reshika Sandini and C. N. A. Kulatunga	Ruhi Hilmy, Maimoon Mohamed, Rashmi Kurukulasuriya, Bilesha Prasandani, Ambassador Patricia Butenis, Gishan Nirmasanka, Celina Fernando, U. L. Najana and Munsif Saheed