Thousands of children have returned to school in northern Sri Lanka, where efforts are under way to restore the area’s battered education infrastructure. The Government of Sri Lanka aims to have all children from the five districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya and Mullaitivu back in school by the end of April. At the same time, authorities are working to address the infrastructure needs of schools damaged in the decades-long civil war. “Assessments have been done and schools will be completely rehabilitated by mid-[2010],” Susil Premajayanth, Minister of Education, told IRIN. According to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 48,000 children of school-going age, most of whom were in camps for displaced people (IDPs), have returned to their districts in the Northern Province. (U.N. News Service)
