Peace Building

July 07, 2008 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's government should start English medium schools in the East of the island, because educators in the areas are clamouring them, a top official in charge of peace building efforts said.







The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) is encouraging communities in the Eastern Province to formulate their own development initiatives for the area which will also contribute to peace building.

A key initiative was the request for an English medium schools in the Trincomalee district, Rajiva Wijesinha secretary general of SCOPP told reporters in Colombo.

"Principals from Moslem, Tamil and Sinhalese schools in the region have requested for an overarching English medium school to supplement a teacher shortage."

"This will also help children of different ethnicities to blend with each other, hopefully when the children unite, the adults will also do so," Wijesinha said.

The secretariat has opted to allow the communities to plan their own development schemes for the region.

It will also help communities unite in the peace building process, SCOPP says.

"These are the areas we have to move in and act quickly because the people themselves have asked for it," Wijesi