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Student’s death fall from mango tree: Principal arrested
View(s):Dikkumbura Junior School principal R. R. V. G. C. Bandara Ulangamuwa who was arrested in connection with the death of a student was released on two personal bails of Rs. 100,000.
The victim’s father R. R. Piyathissa
R. Kasun Buddika (15), who fell from a mango tree in the school premises on June 27 sustained critical injuries and was first admitted to Rattota hospital. He was transferred to Kandy hospital where, within hours of admission, he died of the injuries.
Rattota police sources said according to eye witness accounts the principal had asked the student to climb the tree and pluck mangoes during a dengue prevention clean up programme in the school.
A separate investigation by the Matale Regional Educational office will begin tomorrow, and what action should be taken against the principal will be decided, Regional Education Director, Mahinda S. Yapa said.
The Grade 8 student was the younger of two children. His father, R. R. Piyathissa said the principal should take the responsibility for his son’s death. However he said the teachers had asked Buddhika to climb the tree.
“We send children to school assuming that the teachers and principal are responsible for their safety. Schools are not cattle farms. Although I did not witness the incident, I heard from students that the teachers had asked my son to climb the tree,” he said.
The school where the tragedy occurred
In the father’s statement to the police during the inquest into his son’s death, Mr. Piyasena had questioned the claim that no teachers witnessed the incident. He asked what the teachers were doing without supervising students who were engaged in a clean up programme.
He claimed students present at the time of the incident had said the teachers supervising the programme had asked Buddhika to climb the tree.
Buddhika’s class teacher told police that she was not present when the incident occurred and that
she was not aware if any teacher was supervising the children.
The victim R. Kasun Buddika
The principal, Mr. Ulangamuwa, in his statement to the police said no teachers were present during the clean up. He added that Buddhika was a mischievous student by nature and that he had discussed his behaviour with his mother on an earlier occasion.
“I told her to be gentle with the child and conduct a pujawa if he was going through a bad period according to astrological readings” Mr. Ulangamuwa stated.
According the principal’s statement, only eight teachers were present at school that day as some of them had accompanied students in lower grades on an educational trip. Many of them were conducting classroom work when the incident occurred, he said.