Schoolchildren are pragmatic messengers to ensure sustainable development: President

President Maithripala Sirisena says schoolchildren are the most realistic messengers in the process of fulfilling the social responsibility and duties to attain the sustainable development.  

He made these remarks participating in the inauguration ceremony of the establishing of Sustainable Development School Societies, held at Kengalla Maha Vidyalaya in Digana on 19 January.

The President said: “This is an era in which we should be prepared for today as well as for tomorrow without delaying and we must fulfill our respective duties in this regard without postponing. The sustainable development goals cannot be postponed for tomorrow.”

President Sirisena further said: “The world powers who always provide guidance and advice to us did serious damage to human society by increasing the global average temperature as well as polluting the air in their development drive. All living creatures, including human beings, have to face a serious challenge of survival due the acts by the super powers neglecting the natural and environmental values.

“To become a country which protects environmental resources we should protect our forest density and if we do not pay our attention in this regard we also have to face serious challenges of tomorrow’s living. Everyone who neglects the environment, including politicians, scientists, must take the responsibility in this regard.”

The program to establish sustainable school societies is being launched recognising the prominent role schoolchildren could play in building the country in line with the concept of sustainable development.

This program was launched under the theme ‘Sonduru Lama Lowak – Surakshita Hetak’ under the guidance of the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Education and with the supervision of the Provincial Education Ministries.

Imparting knowledge about the patterns of using land, transferring the school garden into a production unit, creating a clean and healthy school premises, empowering schoolchildren through the sustainable development in the school land and the premises, making schoolchildren aware about the drug menace and kidney diseases, empowering the children for self-protection and increasing their knowledge, skills, ideas and good behaviour are other objectives of the program.

The President presented the guidelines of the sustainable school program to Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam on this occasion. He also launched the website on the sustainable school program.

President Sirisena presented the guidelines of the sustainable school program to five student committee leaders of the program. He also presented a book on kidney disease prevention and sets of equipment to dispose of garbage produced by the Central Environmental Authority.

The President presented five sets of books recommended for the knowledge evaluation test to five schools. He also presented equipment required for implementing the sustainable development program. Five Advanced Level students who lost their parents due to kidney disease received scholarships from the President on this occasion. The President also opened 10 water purification systems through a remote control system.

The President visited the model farm created by the children of the Kengalla Maha Vidyalaya and had cordial discussions with the children.

Ministers Lakshman Kiriella, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and M.H. Abdul Haleem, Governor of the Central Province Niluka Ekanayaka and Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayaka also participated in this event.