1000 Sunday school teachers oriented on national integration & reconciliation programme in Jaffna

A national reconciliation event to institutionalize National Integration and reconciliation into the Sunday religious schools teaching covering Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim religions was held in Jaffna last week with the partcipation of thousand religious teachers to introduce and institutionalize National Integration and Reconciliation concepts and principles to the Sunday school teaching

"This programmes was well received by the Sunday school teachers and the District officials," said   Mr. V.Sivagnanasothy, Secretary, Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation. 

The vision and objectives of the programme is to create a conflict-free, united, reconciled society where everybody respects the different religious principles and philosophies and establish harmonious society which leads to prosperity.

The dialogue session also discussed that Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohamed and Hinduism leaders are great “Messengers of Peace and Reconciliation” and called citizens of all ethnicities join hands in brotherhood and unity. The session speakers also urged all moderates on the middle path to reject extremist views of all sides. 

The dialogue session also concluded that the children in the previous generation were “cultural children”  whereas today’s children are “technology children”  and therefore there is an urgent need to inculcate Sunday Religious Teaching with reconciliation programmes  as mandatory to enhance the morale values of the society.

At the end of the programme, all thousand Sunday religious teachers read the National declaration on reconciliation and confirmed their involvement to serve as Peace Messengers and Change Agents and inculcate reconciliation through the religious values and principles and impart to the young children to make them good citizens.

This National event was attended by Mr.V.Sivagnanasothy, Secretary, Ministry of National Integration and Reconciliation, Hon. C.V.K.Sivagnanam, Chairman of the Northern Provincial Council, Mr. A. Nadarajan, Consulate General, High Commission of India, Jaffna and Mr. N. Vethanayahan, District Secretary, Jaffna, Mr. A. Pathinathan, Chief Secretary, Northern Provincial Council, Mr.L.Ilangovan, Secretary to the Governor of the Northern Province, Divisional Secretaries, Religious leaders and over thousand Sunday school teachers.