Fresh controversy over Colombo national school's dry ration drive

Colombo, July 27 (Daily Mirror) - Fresh controversy has erupted over the disputed dry ration collection drive at Thurstan College after the school's parents' union alleged that some of the donated food items had already expired and claimed the distribution programme had been shifted from Delft Island (Neduntheevu) to schools in Jaffna following media scrutiny.

The latest allegations come weeks after the parents' union claimed that Thurstan College had requested parents of students from Grades 1 to 13 to donate dry rations and school supplies for around 600 students in 10 schools on Delft Island, raising concerns over compulsory collections and the financial burden placed on families.

According to the parents' union, the principal had informed parents that the initiative was being conducted as part of a Health Promotion Programme under the Education Ministry. However, the union said Education Ministry officials later confirmed they were unaware of any such programme and that no approval had been granted.

The union also alleged that parents had been instructed not to publicise the collection drive.

In the latest development, the parents' union claimed that some of the dry rations collected from parents had already expired despite plans to distribute them on Tuesday (29). It further alleged that, following media scrutiny of the controversy, the principal abandoned the original plan to distribute the goods to schools on Delft Island and instead decided to send them to several schools in Jaffna.

According to the union, the goods are now expected to be handed over to the Jaffna Zonal Education Office.

The union also claimed that teachers had been instructed to report for duty and travel to Jaffna to participate in the distribution programme despite the project allegedly lacking Education Ministry approval.

Questioning the authority under which the programme was organised, the parents' union asked how the principal had been able to conduct a large-scale collection drive and distribution exercise without the ministry's permission.

The parents' union has also requested the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to inspect the quality of the donated goods before they are distributed.

Some parents had previously claimed that individual classes collected goods worth more than Rs. 24,000, while also complaining about the financial burden imposed on families. The union had further alleged that students were earlier asked to contribute Rs. 500 each for Vesak lantern decorations.

A senior Education Ministry official previously told the Daily Mirror that the ministry was unaware of the programme and reiterated that no approval had been granted for such an initiative.

The Daily Mirror previously made several attempts to obtain a response from the Thurstan College principal, but those efforts were unsuccessful. Government policy maintains that while voluntary donations cannot be prohibited, schools have no legal authority to compel parents to make contributions.