News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 June 1999, 11:14 GMT]
Workshop planned to explore social harmony through education; Minister Ashraff addresses Amparai Tamils and Northeast Governor to meet Tamil teachers union.

Workshop planned to explore social harmony through education

A two-day workshop on "Promoting social harmony through education", jointly organised by the World Bank and the U.K. based Department for International Development (DFID) will be held on July 1 and 2 at the Blue Water Hotel, Wadduwa, in Colombo.

The workshop will commence with a small reception and dinner on June 30.

The workshop is intended as an informal brainstorming session to explore avenues by which social harmony can be promoted through education, including curriculum development, textbook writing and the production of other education material, organisers said.

The General Secretary of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union, Mr.T.Mahasivam, has been invited to address the workshop on the topic "The role of education in promoting ethnic harmony and peace".

---

Minister Ashraff addresses Amparai Tamils

Tamils living in the eastern Amparai district are not political orphans, said the Minister of Harbour Development, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, Mr.M.H.M.Ashraff, at a public meeting that followed the ceremonial opening of the Swami Vipulananda Commemoration Hall, at Karativu on Saturday evening.

Mr.Ashraff further said that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, led by him, would not let the Tamils in Amparai down.

Swami Vipulananda, a Tamil scholar and the first Tamil Professor in the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya, was born in Karativu in the Ampara district.

He joined the Ramakrishna Mission and played vital role in the educational development of the North east province by establishing several educational institutions.

---

Northeast Governor to meet Tamil teachers union

The North East Governor, Major General Asoka Jayawardhene, has invited the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) for talks on June 29 at 11 a.m. at his office in Trincomalee.

The meeting has been called to discuss the CTTU's nine demands including the withdrawal of the ban on the transport of computers and other equipment needed for teaching and learning to schools in the LTTE controlled areas.

The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union has told the President, the Minister of Education and Higher Education and the Northeast Governor that action should be taken to meet the nine demands before June 30.

If action is not taken union members said that they would send sick notes on July 2 and not attend schools.