He made these remarks participating in the inauguration ceremony of the establishing of Sustainable Development School Societies, held at Kengalla Maha Vidyalaya in Digana, yesterday (19th Jan).
The President said that this is an era that we should be prepared for today as well as for tomorrow without delaying and also we must fulfill our respective duties in this regard without postponing. He also said that the sustainable development goals at any rate, we cannot postpone for tomorrow.
President Sirisena further said that the world powers who always provide guidance and advice to us, did the serious damage to the human society by increasing the global average temperature as well as polluting the air, in their development drive. He also said that all the living creatures, including the human being had to face a serious challenge of survival due the acts by the super powers neglecting the natural and environmental values.
The President said that to become a country, which protects the environmental resources we should protect our forest density and if we did not pay our attention in this regard we also have to face serious challenges of tomorrow’s living. Everyone who neglects the environment, including politicians, scientists, must take the responsibility in this regard.
The programme to establish Sustainable Development School Societies is being launched recognizing the prominent role the school children could play in building the country with the concept of the sustainable development.
This programme launched under the theme “Sonduru Lama Lowak-Surakshita Hetak”, under the guidance of Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Education and with the supervision of the Provincial Education Ministries.
Imparting knowledge about the patterns of using land, transferring the school garden into a production unit, creating a clean and healthy school premises, empower the school children through the sustainable development in the school land and the premises, make the school children aware about the drug menace and kidney diseases, empower the children for self-protection and increase their knowledge, skills, ideas and good behavior are other objectives of the program.
The President presented the guidelines of the sustainable school program to the Minister of Education AkilaVirajKariyawasam on this occasion. He also launched the website on the sustainable school program.
President Sirisena presented the guidelines of the sustainable school program to five student committee leaders of the program. He also presented a book on kidney disease prevention and the sets of equipments to dispose garbage, produced by the Central Environmental Authority.
The President presented five sets of books recommended for the knowledge evaluation test to five schools. He also presented equipments required for implementing the sustainable development program. Five Advanced Level students who lost their parents due to kidney disease received scholarships from the President on this occasion. The President also opened 10 water purification systems through remote control system.
The President who visited the model farm created by the children of the KengallaMahaVidyalaya, had cordial discussions with the children.
Ministers Lakshman Kiriella, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, M. H. Abdul Haleem, Governor of the Central Province Niluka Ekanayaka and the Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayaka also participated in this event.
