Ministry restores 125 tsunami-hit schools

The Education Ministry has restored 125 schools devastated by the 2004 tsunami in the Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern provinces and vested them with the students under the tsunami Rehabilitation programme, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said.

Construction work of another 19 schools affected by the disaster is currently in progress. Rehabilitation work on 38 more schools damaged by the tidal waves have been held up due to terrorist activity, he claimed.

In addition, 260 schools which temporarily housed displaced people by the tsunami have also been rehabilitated with the assistance from the Provincial Ministries and Zonal Education offices. The Ministry hopes to complete the rehabilitation of the remaining schools next year.

Meanwhile, an Education Ministry release said 182 schools in 11 districts in the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Provinces were either completely or partly damaged in the 2004 December 26 tsunami. The damaged schools districtwise identified are: Galle - 26, Kalutara - 7, Gampaha - 2, Mullaitivu - 14, Jaffna - 11, Kilinochchi - 1, Trincomalee - 26, Batticaloa - 37 and Ampara - 40.

The release said over 40 sectors and organisations assisted the Ministry's tsunami Rehabilitation programme.