Peace through Special Education
an article by Rajudeen

Peace through Special Education is the theme of the latest attempt by Service Civil International - Sri Lanka Branch in its persevering efforts to contribute in some little way to the much needed peace effort in the country.

120 primary school teachers belonging to the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim Communities have been identified to under go a 12 day training programme in the identification of special needs children in their class rooms.

Mentally handicapped children are the most neglected and discriminated lot among the disabled. Many children go undetected, uncared and neglected. Very often they are detected very late thus rendering rehabilitation very difficult or even impossible.

The goal of this programme, which has received funding from Cordaid and INTO Ireland, SCI proposes to empower these teachers with a much needed basic knowledge of identifying them as searly as possible and refer them to the professional so that they would receive the necessary advice and support.

The teachers belonging to all communities would have the opportunity to meet and interact with each other - sharing their culture and good practices and alsos the engage in joint activities.

The children attending the pre-schools also will have opportunity to meet with their counterparts in the Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil pre-schools and to apprecciate the need to understand and appreciate one another culture.

Very unfortunately the educational methodology in Sri lanka has brought about deep divisions among the the ethnic communities by promoting and practicing seperate schools for the different ethnic groups and the chances of children of different communites meeting one another is very rare. The unfolding tragedy in Sri Lanka is very tragic indeed. LETS CONTRIBUTE IN SOME LITTLE WAY FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE TO PREVAIL OVER DEATH AND ANARCHY.

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This report was posted on March 22, 2009. The moderator is CPNN Administrator.

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