25,245 Vanni children not getting schooling

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 19 June 2002, 20:34 GMT]
Due to the poor education facilities in the Vanni region, 25,245 students in five education zones in the region are not attending school regularly. Prior to the research conducted by the Rural Economic Research and Development Corporation during education awareness week, the number was assumed to be 21,000.

The breakdown of the 25,245 students is as follows: 4,768 students have dropped out of schools, 17,264 students attend irregularly and 3,213 students are not attending schools at all.

The statistics are distributed thus: Mullaitivu (6,356),Thunukkai(5,000), Kilinochchi (10,006), Madhu (2,194) and Vavuniya North (2,679).

Meanwhile, according to Mr. Kurukularajah, education director of the Mullaitivu zone, if the directorate, currently operating out of a school in Puthukkudiyiruppu, is to move back to Mullaitivu town, buildings will need to be constructed involving a cost of Rs.4,000,000.

The Mullaitivu directorate of education was completely destroyed in 1990 as a result of the expansion of the Army base there to incorporate the nearby town.

Since then, the directorate has been operating from the Sri Subramania school in Puthukkudiyiruppu. The SLA base was destroyed in 1996 in an offensive by the Liberation Tigers.

Mr. Kurukularajah said that despite several reconstruction plans being drawn up in the past, none received the necessary funding, except for one which received some UNICEF funding last year.