• Urges Govt. to curb violence spree

The Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) has urged the Government to take urgent action to curb the ongoing wave of violence in the country, noting that it is also affecting the functioning of schools and the education of children.

There has been a noticeable rise in shootings and other violent crimes across the country in recent months.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, CTU President Priyantha Fernando said that the wave of violence in the country has also spilled over into the schools at present. "There have been several incidents of violence within schools in the recent past. For instance, a teacher and a student were assaulted within a school premises in Anuradhapura about a week ago. This is a very adverse trend,” Fernando opined.

Referring to the recent rise in shooting incidents, he noted that at least two had occurred in close proximity to schools. He added: "There have been many shootings in the past few months, and at least two of them happened near schools. This is extremely dangerous. There are thousands of students in these schools. What if one of them becomes an accidental victim? The Government should immediately address this issue."

Over the past, many parties including the Parliamentary Opposition have been urging the Government to take necessary action to ensure public safety, warning that frequent shootings pose a serious threat to national security. However, government officials, including Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, have dismissed such parties' allegations, stating that the shootings are the result of clashes between organised crime gangs and do not pose a threat to national security.