Reconciliation starts in school and from trust among students
The Office for National Unity and Reconciliation organised a camp for students and teachers. Schools must promote exchanges between young people, future "agents of change". Teachers note that “School is the place where you start to be good or bad, destructive or peaceful, [where] love or hate [are learnt]."
Colombo (AsiaNews) – “Education in Sri Lanka can play a fundamental role in building national reconciliation and peace,” said J.K. Rajapaksha, director of the Education Unit at the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR).
Rajapaksha spoke at an educational camp for students and teachers titled "Sahodara Paasal/Paadasalai", held at the Y-Gro Social Development Centre, Kurunegala District.
Through education, "we must move forward to build mutual trust and brotherhood among children, regardless of their race or religion," he explained.
The five-day camp brought together 180 students and 36 teachers of different ethnic and religious backgrounds from Uva, Eastern and Western provinces.
The students shared experiences and opinions and learnt to live together, giving them the opportunity to understand and appreciate the issues related to reconciliation in a country marked by decades of civil war.
Participants joined in various activities and drafted an action plan for their respective communities to work together to create a peaceful and supportive nation.
In his address to the students, Rajapaksha said that the programme’s goal is to establish a pool of 'facilitators', teachers specialised in reconciliation, in the various provinces.
"At the same time, we want to make thousands of students know each other, so that they can become agents of change in their respective communities,” he added.
“The programme’s innovative practices will allow students to interact with each other and share ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious differences”.
They will learn “to appreciate and respect the differences that characterise us as Sri Lankans. The camp will help a better future generation with a positive mindset."
Some teachers and principals in Colombo and Negombo told AsiaNews that the initiative is "an essential step. School is the place where you start to be good or bad, destructive or peaceful, [where] love or hate [are learnt]."
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08/04/2024 15:00
