Dear _______________,
SRI LANKA: Child denied right to education despite being the victim of ill-treatment
I write to voice my dismay at the appalling treatment of a five-year-old child and the school authorities intention to deny him of his right to education. The boy, a student of Buwanekabha Primary School was humiliated and ill-treated by his school teacher on 20 March 2006. When the boys family became aware of this, they lodged a complaint with the Maharagama police station and met with the police Womens and Childs Bureau about the incident.
I am aware that the teacher was later arrested, and when produced before the Gangodawila Magistrates Court, was charged (case number B946/06).
Of considerable concern is that when the childs grandfather approached the Western Province Chief Ministers office to complain about the incident to the additional secretary of education, he was told that he should find another school with a vacancy for this grandson. He was then to return with a letter from the new school principal indicating that he/she was willing to admit the child. The Education Officer also mentioned the recent case before the Colombo High Court where a teacher from Thurston College had been ordered by the High Court Judge to pay Rs. 350,000 to a student he had assaulted and injured. The officer commented that, the judge doesnt seem to have a brain. How can you teach children without assaulting them?
I trust you will agree with me when I say that this child should not be denied his right to education nor forced to find a new school, when it is he who was humiliated and ill-treated by his teacher. That he was a victim in the first instance is appalling. That he is now being punished for his teachers misconduct is entirely unacceptable.
I therefore ask that you intervene in this case and ensure that the child is not forced to attend another school. At the same time, the child should be able to continue his study at his own school without fear of further ill-treatment or threat for what has occurred in this case.
I trust your intervention will come before the child misses any further classes.
Yours sincerely,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Dr. Hiranthi Wijemanne
National Child Protection Authority
330, Thalawathgoda Road
Madiwella
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 778912/13/14
Fax: +94 11 2 778975
E-mail: ncpa@childprotection.gov.lk
2. Minister for Education
Ministry of Education
SRI LANKA
Tel: + 94 11 2 785 617
Fax: + 94 11 2 784 846
3. The Provincial Director of Education
Department of Education
76, Anandakumarasamy Mawatha
Colombo 07
SRI LANKA
Fax no. +94 11 2693894
4. Bo Viktor Nylun
Head of Child Protection
UNICEF Sri Lanka
P.O. Box 143, Colombo
SRI LANKA
Tel: +94 11 2 555 270 (6 lines)
Fax: +94 11 2 551 333
E-mail: colombo@unicef.org
5.. Mr. Jacob Egbert Doek
Chairperson
Committee on the Rights of the Child
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 917 9022
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
