It is very disturbing as a parent to note that there has been so much of violence in schools rugby as reported and documented by the Sunday Observer over the past five years.
To describe it in one word, it is “Outrageous” that nothing was done to eradicate or even minimize the volume of violence and I do agree with reader Anthony Subramanium that the best solution for something that cannot be controlled is to completely ban schoolboys from playing for trophies and as the Sunday Observer reported becoming pawns of their schools and the people running the affairs of school rugby the so-called Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association or SLSRFA.
The number one priority for a schoolboy should be studies as that is the number one motive that a parent has in mind when a child reaches the age of five. Sport is something secondary and if a child is discovered to have a talent for it then he or she must to put on the right track and be the responsibility of the school authorities to ensure the right environment is created.
This right environment is certainly not Violence. There is enough violence in the country and these days we have seen on TV how even lynching has begun to take place.
Sport should be the breeding ground for decency and not violence or not something that a boy or girl takes into Society when he or she leaves that institution. Unfortunately today as remarked by the head of the SLSRFA Mr. Ranjith Chandrisekera, schools have become the breeding ground for politics.
But Mr. Chandrasekera should also ask himself whether his Association left room for all this kind of violence and politics to proliferate.
I appeal to the Minister or whoever will be the Minister of Education next year after the Election to impose a permanent ban of schoolboys playing rugby for trophies. Schools like Royal, Trinity, St. Peter’s, S. Thomas’ and Zahira can go back to playing their traditional friendly matches and leave it to the respective school heads to decide if they need to play anymore “friendly” matches with schools that are not part of their tradition.
Ryan Peiris
Kandy