SRI LANKA Human rights must be included in Sinhalese school curricula

During a forum held in Colombo, the Human Rights Commission called for education reform to make human rights a central theme of the curriculum. The proposal raises the situation of people discriminated against in the country, such as Tamil workers. In December, guidelines were presented on how to act during arrests: “24 people died while in detention,” denounces Nimal Punchihewa.

Colombo () – A structured attempt has been launched to bring the field of human rights studies to Sinhalese schools and include it in school curricula. The goal is to raise awareness in the community about the rights of people, especially those who belong to minorities, such as plantation workers of Tamil ethnicity and LGBTQ+ people. A press conference was convened a few days ago at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI) in Colombo in which members of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) participated.

On that occasion Thaiyamuthu Thanaraj, professor and commissioner of the HRCSL, stated that the organization works in synergy with the National Institute of Education (NIE), and that the project has the support of the Ministry of Education, which has given a positive response regarding the implementation of the proposed reforms. The need to specifically train teachers on the topic of human rights was also raised. HRCSL has already started offering training sessions at school level, but it is certainly not enough to sensitize the Sinhalese population on the broad issue of human rights. That is why Thanaraj stated that it is important to introduce the subject “Human Rights” in schools, both for students and teachers.

For its part, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission is studying in depth the challenges faced by minority communities and marginalized groups, such as plantation workers. 90% of plantation workers, said prof. Thanaraj, is still below the poverty line; Indeed, there is a huge gap between their standard of living and that of other categories of workers. “The plantation Tamil community is an integral part of the Sri Lankan community. For historical reasons, that community has been neglected and due to these long years of neglect, its socioeconomic conditions are much inferior in relation to the rest of the country,” stated the commissioner.

The HRCSL dedicates its attention and directs its commitment to these and other discriminated people. “We cannot leave this community as it is, we have to do extra work to help them,” continues Thaiyamuthu Thanaraj. That is why studies are being carried out to obtain a complete picture of the conditions in which they are found and establish the causes. “We want to understand what the real problem they are facing is. We will then publish the results with the help of the international community and the Government of Sri Lanka. “That way they will be able to join as an integral part of Sinhalese society and live a happier life.” The investigation will mainly focus on the areas of Rathnapura, Deniyaya and Hatton, but the areas of Badulla, Kurunegala and Kegalle will also be taken into account.

“The Commission will soon publish for public consultation several reports prepared by the HRCSL on some controversial incidents and social issues that were not yet available,” Professor Fathima Farzana Haniffa told reporters. Among them the report prepared by the Commission on the social unrest that occurred in Kandy in 2018. Commissioner Nimal Punchihewa told that the HRCSL has prepared guidelines for agencies that deal with people, such as the police; guidelines, for example, on how to act during an arrest. “In the last year, 24 people died while they were detained. Likewise, another 11 people died as a result of confrontations that occurred during the arrest procedure,” he denounces.