Haphazard school closures affected food aid programme: EFSL
View(s):The Government closing all public schools countrywide had disrupted education and food aid organised for schoolchildren, the Education Forum Sri Lanka (EFSL) said last week.
It is learnt that the haphazard decisions to close schools in the past two weeks had disrupted a programme to distribute mid-day meals from July 4 to 15 to schoolchildren from poor families. This programme was organised and supported by well- wishers.
A study done by EFSL had noted that distribution of a mid-day meal had contributed towards a marked improvement in attendance.
In rural areas children walk, cycle or use bullock carts to travel and at this time of economic crisis it had been observed that parents encouraged their children to attend school.
Schools were closed in the past two weeks because of the fuel crisis in the country that had disrupted the public and private transport service.
School authorities said it was difficult to plan anything ahead or even inform students and teachers on the opening and closing dates of schools.
EFSL called on the Government to refrain from macro managing schools citing that the line ministry cannot monitor more than 10,000 schools.
EFSL said any policy decision should be taken after monitoring and evaluating the situation.
Decisions should be made after discussion with the provincial and zonal offices that know the ground situation in those areas, it added. (CC)
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