44 school children among flood fatalities - Akila Viraj
May 31, 2017 12:11 pm
44 school children were amongst the 202 deaths that have been reported so far due to the flooding and adverse weather conditions, Minister of Education, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said.
The Minister stated this at a press conference held today (31), and added that 8 more school children have been reported missing.
Accordingly, the Minister stated that 15 students from the Ratnapura district, 2 from the Kegalle district, 6 from Matara, 4 from Hambantota, and 17 students from Kalutara contributed to the cumulative 44 child fatalities.
Minister Kariyawasam proceeded to say that all schools belonging to 8 severely affected districts had been subjected to closure till June 02. He also stated that a final decision had not yet been made about the reopening of said schools, and added that the final decision would be announced on Friday (02).
The Minister of Education further informed the media that Sri Lanka was home to a total of 10,163 schools, and added that the Ministry of Education would take prompt measures to restore those in an inoperative state.
