(COLOMBO) – Some 74 Sri Lankan schools with hazardous buildings have been identified, including a leading college in the commercial capital of Colombo, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said on Thursday.
He told Parliament that instructions have been given to the respective schools to evacuate the children from hazardous buildings and that an alternative mechanism is in place to accommodate them elsewhere until the buildings are renovated.
He said funds had not been allocated in 2019, 20, 21 and 22 for schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in the country.
The Minister said school authorities had been informed to be cautious of hazardous buildings in their respective facilities and to ensure the safety of the children.
The Minister was reacting to the tragic death of a 6-year-old schoolgirl at Weragoda Vidyalaya in Wellampitiya located in Colombo on Wednesday.
The girl was crushed to death and five others injured, one critically after a wall crashed down on them without a warning while they were playing in the school yard.
