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| Pics by Rukshan Abeywansha |
Child protection organizations are coming out of
the woodworks these days. But do they really know what problems children
really face? For that matter do parents or teachers know? Children are
the best people to answer this question. ‘Children building bridges’ – a
convergence of child representatives which shares aspirations and
represent their plans for reconciliation, held an event at the BMICH
recently. The event was a joint venture featuring Department of
Probation and Child Care Services, Save the Children organization,
European union and the Child Right Advocacy Network (CRAN).
There were at least two children from each district and more than 50 children between 16 to 18 years of age at the event. All of them were wearing the same costume and no one could identify the district they represented without reading the card they wore.The events in their agenda were programs in the children’s television channel ‘Lama lokaya’ (Children’s world). The first program lined up for its audience was a drama – ‘Our dream’. The message of the drama was simple, but strong. The script was highly sensitive that quite a few among the audience were brushing off tears. “They came up with the script themselves just the other day,” Save the Children International Senior Adviser Nilakshi Gunatillake said commenting on the drama.
The drama revolved around two children neglected by their mothers. They enacted how it hurts them to be neglected by their parents and how it affects their psychology when parents fight. Their objective, which was quite successfully achieved, was to show the importance of family values, harmony and bond between parents and children.
The next program was a talk show. They spoke about the issues children face and what they see as solutions for these issues. They pointed out the difficulties they face because of the language differences. “I can’t speak Tamil,” one of the speakers confessed. “I want to learn it. Now I understand that learning Tamil is the best tool to get closer to Tamil friends and communicate with them. If I cannot communicate with them, how will I ever understand them,” Gunatillake queried. He suggested a Tri-lingual program to be introduced to school children as a solution for the issue he raised.
Another speaker mentioned the weaknesses in the current education and examination systems. “I think that competitive exams are not healthy for us. What society needs is an intellectual, not a scholar, I think this education system is not helping to provide what the country requires,” he pointed out. “O/L and A/L is just tiring the child. It doesn’t tell you how you should face life,” Gunatillake added. He also spoke about the deviation of the educational facilities in the country. “I come from a village. We do not have facilities equal to children in Colombo,” he reflected.
They are also conscious about tuition fees, which burden parents. “We have to spend a lot of money, to get proper knowledge on subjects. What is taught in school is not enough to face all these competitive examinations. So we have to get tuition,” another speaker added. “Some families have a very low income. It is really hard when they have to spend a bigger share for their child’s education. They do have other needs,” this person further said. According to them, if the school can provide what they want, they could use that money on other important needs.
They also pointed out that it is important to introduce new programs and enhance the existing programs to build up leadership qualities in children. “Along with that they should be taught how to love the world and its people. That is how we can overcome violence,” one female representative stressed. “The child is the best creation of the universe. They are the future of the country,” she reiterated.
A dance item which was also created by the children added color to the event. It was a mixture of all dance traditions in Sri Lanka. The program helped them exhibit their talent. The program indicated that Sri Lanka
can hope for clever politicians, empathetic actors, versatile program presenters and talented dancers who will serve her one day.
Surprisingly these children were strangers to each other four days before the final program. “They were selected from district children’s societies. They become a family very soon,” said Gunatillake. “This is the first time ever we held a program like this. It was a great success and it is a motivation for the next level,” she added.
Department of Probation and Child Care Services Commissioner Yamuna Perera was also present at the event. Speaking to The Nation she admired the success of the program. “We are glad that we are a part of this. This will be the first step of a very long journey,” she said. “Their plan of action will be presented as a written document to the Child Development and Women’s Empowerment minister in the evening,” she revealed. The conclusion of the program was a bit of a shock. All the fifty children started hugging each other. All their eyes welled with tears. It was hard for them to leave their friends from the other end of the country. However holding back their tears, they delivered the final message of the program.‘Eka ratak, eka ammek, eka jaathiyak!!! Oreh naadu, oreh thaai, oreh dhesam!!! One country, One mother, One nation!!! We are Sri Lanka.’
There were at least two children from each district and more than 50 children between 16 to 18 years of age at the event. All of them were wearing the same costume and no one could identify the district they represented without reading the card they wore.The events in their agenda were programs in the children’s television channel ‘Lama lokaya’ (Children’s world). The first program lined up for its audience was a drama – ‘Our dream’. The message of the drama was simple, but strong. The script was highly sensitive that quite a few among the audience were brushing off tears. “They came up with the script themselves just the other day,” Save the Children International Senior Adviser Nilakshi Gunatillake said commenting on the drama.
The drama revolved around two children neglected by their mothers. They enacted how it hurts them to be neglected by their parents and how it affects their psychology when parents fight. Their objective, which was quite successfully achieved, was to show the importance of family values, harmony and bond between parents and children.
The next program was a talk show. They spoke about the issues children face and what they see as solutions for these issues. They pointed out the difficulties they face because of the language differences. “I can’t speak Tamil,” one of the speakers confessed. “I want to learn it. Now I understand that learning Tamil is the best tool to get closer to Tamil friends and communicate with them. If I cannot communicate with them, how will I ever understand them,” Gunatillake queried. He suggested a Tri-lingual program to be introduced to school children as a solution for the issue he raised.
Another speaker mentioned the weaknesses in the current education and examination systems. “I think that competitive exams are not healthy for us. What society needs is an intellectual, not a scholar, I think this education system is not helping to provide what the country requires,” he pointed out. “O/L and A/L is just tiring the child. It doesn’t tell you how you should face life,” Gunatillake added. He also spoke about the deviation of the educational facilities in the country. “I come from a village. We do not have facilities equal to children in Colombo,” he reflected.
They are also conscious about tuition fees, which burden parents. “We have to spend a lot of money, to get proper knowledge on subjects. What is taught in school is not enough to face all these competitive examinations. So we have to get tuition,” another speaker added. “Some families have a very low income. It is really hard when they have to spend a bigger share for their child’s education. They do have other needs,” this person further said. According to them, if the school can provide what they want, they could use that money on other important needs.
They also pointed out that it is important to introduce new programs and enhance the existing programs to build up leadership qualities in children. “Along with that they should be taught how to love the world and its people. That is how we can overcome violence,” one female representative stressed. “The child is the best creation of the universe. They are the future of the country,” she reiterated.
A dance item which was also created by the children added color to the event. It was a mixture of all dance traditions in Sri Lanka. The program helped them exhibit their talent. The program indicated that Sri Lanka
can hope for clever politicians, empathetic actors, versatile program presenters and talented dancers who will serve her one day.
Surprisingly these children were strangers to each other four days before the final program. “They were selected from district children’s societies. They become a family very soon,” said Gunatillake. “This is the first time ever we held a program like this. It was a great success and it is a motivation for the next level,” she added.
Department of Probation and Child Care Services Commissioner Yamuna Perera was also present at the event. Speaking to The Nation she admired the success of the program. “We are glad that we are a part of this. This will be the first step of a very long journey,” she said. “Their plan of action will be presented as a written document to the Child Development and Women’s Empowerment minister in the evening,” she revealed. The conclusion of the program was a bit of a shock. All the fifty children started hugging each other. All their eyes welled with tears. It was hard for them to leave their friends from the other end of the country. However holding back their tears, they delivered the final message of the program.‘Eka ratak, eka ammek, eka jaathiyak!!! Oreh naadu, oreh thaai, oreh dhesam!!! One country, One mother, One nation!!! We are Sri Lanka.’
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| Pics by Rukshan Abeywansha |
Published on August 25, 2013 in The Nation
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