Exhibition highlights Children's Rights

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 November 2002, 21:45 GMT]
A two-day education exhibition named "Towards a new Era" organized by the North East Provincial Ministry of Education and sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was inaugurated Wednesday morning in Trincomalee. The main objective of the exhibition is to raise social awareness on the rights of children, said Mr.S. Subramaniam, Additional Provincial Director of Education in charge of the project.

UNICEF Trinco head delegate Ms Gabriella Elroy is seen inaugurating the exhibition.

The exhibition is being held in three schools in the east port town, Sri Shanmuga Hindu Ladies College Sri Koneswara Hindu College and Peruntheru Vigneswara Maha Vidyalayam.

The UNICEF Trincomalee head delegate Ms Gabriella Elroy declared open the main exhibition at Trincomalee Sri Shanmuga Hindu Girls College by lighting the traditional oil lamp and cutting the ribbon. Ms. Elroy was taken to the venue of the exhibition in a colorful procession led by the Tamil band at the start of the opening ceremony.

The NE Provincial Director of Education Mr. I.M.Issadeen declared open the exhibition at Peruntheru Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayam and the NE Additional Provincial Director of Education Mr.S.Mahalingam opened the exhibition at Koneswara Hindu College.

The suffering of children who have lost their parents being spotlighted in a play staged by Chenaiyoor Central College students at the education exhibition.

Students and teachers from Chenaiyoor Central College in the LTTE controlled Muttur east staged plays depicting the difficulties children and youth undergo in their villages. One play portrayed the harassment students suffer when they pass checkpoints.

Residents of Muttur said that at Kattaiparichchan Bridge, which divides the LTTE controlled and government held areas in the Muttur division, students and youths are asked to get down from vehicles and cycles and pass through Sri Lanka police checkpoint after showing national identity cards issued by the government.

The two-day exhibition will come to an end Thursday evening.