The Office of National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) celebrated Thai Pongal in schools in the Northern, Eastern, North Western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, and Southern Provinces.
A total of 51,706 students from 549 schools covering 53 zones and 112 divisions participated. The event helped children of different religions celebrate and share others' customs and understand that it does not impact on one’s own identity – the key objective of true reconciliation.
“The arts and culture initiative undertaken by the ONUR to target the education sector in inter-religious and cultural festival celebrations in schools will enhance awareness of different religions, traditions, customs and values, helping create a deeper understanding of the similarities in diverse faiths and cultures in the country, opening the door to true reconciliation,” ONUR Director General M. S. Jayasinghe said.
The initiative was held for the second successive year. It was significant due to its ability to trigger positive perceptions among different segments of the population.
The ONUR worked closely with the Education Ministry and provincial education ministries to organise the island-wide initiative to promote experiential learning among the nation’s diverse cultures. The ONUR will continue to bring together schoolchildren of different cultures on all important religious and cultural festivals such as Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Poson, Ramazan, and Christmas enabling them and their parents to share in the celebrations of different communities, making each unique and innovative that opens their eyes to the joy and friendship in sharing and celebrating diversity.
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