COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

SRI LANKA 7 MARCH 2012
EDUCATION
―(b) Large numbers of children in conflict with the law, children victims of abuse
and neglect, children with disabilities and, increasingly, children living in poverty
continue to be institutionalized and for long periods of time;
―(c) Unacceptable conditions prevail in many institutions which are unable to
provide basic facilities such as sanitation facilities, sleeping space, medical care
and clothing to children;
―(d) Children‘s emotional wellbeing is gravely affected in the institutions and the
situation is aggravated by the fact that most of the caregivers are untrained and
not adequately paid and by a high turnover of staff;
―(e) Institutionalized children are often deprived of vocational training,
counseling and other alternative educational opportunities; and
―(f) The situation of institutionalized children is not regularly assessed.‖
21.37 The USSD 2010 report 426 observed that ―The law requires children between the ages of
five and 14 to attend school. The government provided extensive systems of public
education and medical care. Education was free through the university level.‖ With
regards to ‗resettled areas‘, the same report noted that ―School facilities were being
demined and reconstructed, but many were in poor condition and lacked basic supplies.
Medical care in these areas was limited, but improvements continued throughout the
year.‖
21.38 The U.S. Department of Labor‘s 2010 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor 427 ,
dated September 2011, observed that: ―Children in Sri Lanka are able to access school.
Reports indicate that almost all children complete nine years of the required basic
education. However, both the 2-decade long civil conflict and the 2004 tsunami
devastated specific parts of the country, creating major educational disparities in the
affected areas.‖ and that ―Children in Sri Lanka are provided free and compulsory
education until age 14.‖
21.39 The same report 428 added that ―The Government has reported the provision of
rehabilitation and reintegration programs for all former child soldiers from non-State
armed groups heavily involved in the recent conflict. Specifically, the Government
provided three residential educational and vocational training facilities for child excombatants.
These facilities offer catch-up education classes and facilitate family visits
to reintegrate the children into their communities.‖
426 US State Department 2010 Human Rights Report: Sri Lanka (USSD 2010), released on 8 April 2011,
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/sca/154486.htm , date accessed 11 May 2011, Section 6
427 U.S. Department of Labor’s 2010 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor , September 2011
(accessed via ecoinet) http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/90_1317902661_2011-10-03-usdol-child-labor-
2010.pdf date accessed 2 February 2012 , p700
428 U.S. Department of Labor’s 2010 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor , September 2011
(accessed via ecoinet) http://www.ecoi.net/file_upload/90_1317902661_2011-10-03-usdol-child-labor-
2010.pdf date accessed 2 February 2012, p700
166 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February 2012.
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section
to 2 March 2012.