Number of School drop-outs escalate in Jaffna district
[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 June 2008, 15:57 GMT]
The number of children dropping out of school due to economic hardships, particularly children of fisher families in the coastal areas of Jaffna peninsula and among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is on the increase at a disturbing rate, Education Officials in Jaffna warned. Jaffna Government Agent (GA), Thursday, requested Education Authorities in the peninsula to submit data on the student drop-out immediately, Jaffna Secretariat sources said.
Parents among the fisher families, already affected by fishing restrictions along coasts of Jaffna, and the IDP families in the peninsula, are forced to supplement their income by sending their children to work. This issue was raised in the monthly evaluation meeting Thursday at the Jaffna Secretariat prompting the GA to call for particulars of drop-outs from schools in the peninsula. Most of the International and local Volunteer Organizations in the peninsula have expressed readiness to provide assistance to draw the drop-out children back to their schools. World Bank, through its World Food Programme, provides cooked lunch daily for all students in the peninsula. The data collected by the Educational Authorities will be used to engage the willing volunteer organizations to address this issue, Jaffna Secretariat sources added.
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