School van drivers come under scrutiny:

New laws introduced following increase of accidents

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) focused special attention on the school van tragedy that occurred at Mt. Lavinia recently and said school van drives should follow road rules and maintain discipline on the road to avert such accidents in the future.

The NCPA said if guidelines issued by them on school vans for the protection of school children were properly followed by drivers, this type of accident would never have happened.

According to the NCPA, out of 8,000 school vans that are operated in the Western Province, only 6,000 have been duly registered with the Authority.According to statistics, over 20,000 school vans are operated all over the country.

NCPA Chairperson Anoma Dissanayake told the Junior Observer that a majority of school van drivers and van owners do not obey the rules and regulations set down by the Authority when transporting children.

New laws were introduced for school van drivers following the accident at Mount Lavinia. The NCPA welcomed the directive made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Inspector General of Police to provide him with a report on the tragedy at Mt. Lavinia where several students sustained minor and major injuries.

It was revealed that the driver of the ill-fated school van was very young and had only a temporary driving licence at the time of the accident.

Under the new laws introduced recently, a school van driver has to be above 30 years, be attired properly and also be a licensed driver for at least five years.

According to Mrs. Dissanayake, all vans which transport school children should be registered with the Authority forthwith.

“In addition, experienced persons should be recruited as school van drivers and an elderly female should accompany the children in the van for the protection of all children, especially female children.”

She said school van drivers should refrain from speeding and also overtaking other vehicles on the road considering the valuable lives of innocent children.

“The vehicle should be in perfect running conditions and also not over crowded”.

She said it is the duty of school authorities to look into the condition of school vans that transport children to their respective schools everyday.

International Shafallah Forum on Children with Special Needs:

A platform for dialogue and debate

First Ladies of several countries participated in the Fifth International Shafallah Forum on Children with Special Needs under the theme: "Crisis, Conflicts and Disability held at the Shafallah International Centre in Qatar recently.

The event was organised by the Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs under the patronage of Sheikha Moza bint Nasser.

The hosts were Shafallah chairman Hassan Ali Bin Ali and Cherie Blair (Founder of Cherie Blair Foundation).

The First Ladies were Shiranthi Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), Penehupifo Pohamba (Namibia), Anna Komorowska (Poland), Maja Ivanova (Macedonia), Dr Ida Odinga (Kenya) and Ernestina Naadu Mills (Ghana). The Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs announced the launch of the Fifth International Shafallah Forum - one of the world' foremost global conferences on issues related to disability, and also revealed the forum's official logo.

The keynote addresses were given by Baroness Valerie Amos (UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs), Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al Hussein (Jordan) and Rima Salah (deputy executive director, UNICEF).Attended by nearly 300 participants, the forum examined the 'Impact of Natural Disaster, Conflict, and Displacement on the Disabled.'

The topics discussed were the impact of ongoing crises and conditions faced by persons with disabilities in refugee camps and conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa and how recent natural disasters in Japan, Haiti, Pakistan, and the US have affected persons with disabilities.

The three-day forum, brought together First Ladies, noted-dignitaries, policymakers, educators, persons with disabilities, leaders in the field and humanitarian relief organisations,to discuss and showcase the latest developments ,emergency planning to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities during armed conflict, humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

The focus of this year's forum was the marginalisation of persons with special needs during recent natural disasters in Japan, Haiti, Pakistan and the United States, as well as the ongoing crises and conditions in refugee camps in the Middle East and Africa.

The conference aimed at helping people with disabilities, while serving as a platform for dialogue and debate on issues and challenges facing different societies.

It is recognised internationally for hosting renowned speakers and First Ladies, who exert special efforts and play a dynamic role in spreading public awareness about issues facing children with special needs.

Winners of essay competition - A Heart for Life

Following are the winners of the essay competition on the above topic organised by the American Centre under the theme "Learn About America"in collaboration with the Junior Observer in September-October 2011.

[15-16 year category]

1st Place Vaishnave Lavaneswaran, Royal Institute, Colombo 5
2nd Place W. M. Sithara Madurangi Weerasinghe, Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda
3rd Place Portia Merlyn Kemps, Vidura College, Colombo

[12-14 year category]

1st Place Shenuka Jayatilaka, St. Nicholas International College, Colombo 7
2nd Place Chris Branden De Rose, Belvoir College International, Colombo 5
3rd Place Bilaal Marikar, Trinity College, Kandy

[17-18 year category]

1st Place Maryam Azhar, Ilma International Girls School, Colombo 5
2nd Place Azha Ahlam, Janadhipathi Balika Vidyalaya, Galle
3rd Place Janaka D. Wimalaweera, Vidura College, Colombo