Jaffna students boycott enters seventh week

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 October 2006, 10:23 GMT]
Schools in the Jaffna peninsula remain closed as students continued their boycott of schools, and higher institutes of learning, as the boycott entered seventh week, sources in Jaffna said. Student Association members said that they will resume educational activities only if the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) creates an atmosphere of normalcy conducive for education.

Calls by the President of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Education and others urging the students to go back to schools have failed to get a positive response from the students, sources said.

Meanwhile, the Bishop of Jaffna has issued a public request to all parties concerned to help resume educational activities at the earliest, said Jaffna residents.

Students protest boycott began on the August 19.