Nearly 30 children who had stopped attending school for a long period have returned to class after an initiative by the Community Policing Unit of the Grandpass Police Station in Colombo, Sri Lanka Police said.
The effort began when officers visited Bloemendhal Sinhala Vidyalaya for a World Children’s Day programme. The deputy principal told Police Sergeant Samarawickrama, who heads the unit, that several students had been absent for a long time.
Grandpass Police OIC Chief Inspector Dissanayake then arranged for teams to visit the children’s homes. Officers told parents that schooling is compulsory until the age of 16 and said help would be given to keep the children in education.
Nearly 30 children from Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities came to the police station in their school uniforms before returning to school.
The unit has started a follow-up programme to monitor attendance and identify needs such as schoolbooks, supplies and nutritional support. Police said the OIC and several officers contributed funds.
Sri Lanka Police has asked the public to tell the nearest police station or relevant authorities about children who have dropped out of school.