TE24 International Desk:
Sri Lanka has extended school closures for another week starting July 4 in an unprecedented energy crisis, the education ministry said on Sunday. Public- and state-approved private schools are closed for a week because teachers and parents do not have enough fuel to keep their children in the classroom.
The Sri Lankan minister said the school would cover the curriculum next summer semester.
Due to lack of fuel, schools across the country were closed on the 1st of last month and have been closed in urban areas for the last two weeks.
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education has announced that all state and state-licensed private schools in Colombo, as well as schools in other major cities in other states, will be closed next week due to long-term power outages. The Daily Mirror reported. Nihal Ranasinghe, Education Secretary
The state has requested the school to conduct online classes. Undergraduate schools, on the other hand, are allowed to teach with a small number of students, provided that transportation problems do not affect students, teachers or principals.
Ranasinghe announced that the Public Utility Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has agreed not to disrupt power from 8am to 1pm to promote online classes on weekdays.
Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has faced an unprecedented economic crisis. The economic crisis sparked protests and political instability, leading to the resignation of Mahinda Rajapaksa as Sri Lanka’s prime minister.
Low-funded countries meet energy demand from neighboring India and offer credit lines. The Sri Lankan government has also said it is in talks with Russian and Malaysian suppliers. The government has appealed to Sri Lankan expatriates to send money home through banks to pay for new oil.
