The hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has brought it to the notice of the government that taking the easy way out and adopting a defensive stand against the recommencement of school sports amid coronavirus concerns is not the right way to address the current state of affairs.
In a striking message the Catholic Church which also administers many Christian educational institutions in the country has warned the government that the passions of school goers in the country which is largely about sport has created a situation where idol minds of the youth are falling victim to unscrupulous elements as has been revealed over the past couple of weeks in the country.
“It is for the safety of children and youth that the schools and other Institutions of learning were closed in the context of the pandemic. Nevertheless, at this point of time we wish to stress that the situation of the children causes us great concern and call upon the Government to re-open the schools as soon as possible, so that the children will be able to not only learn the sciences but also achieve emotional, psychological and spiritual health, enter into the atmosphere of interaction with their teachers, their fellow students and friends and engage in extra-curricular and sports activities with their peers in order to achieve a sense of emotional balance,” the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka said in a Statement.
School sports came to a drastic end in March 2020 while the cricket and rugby seasons were gathering momentum thereby mentally and physically destroying the youth passions of thousands of schoolboys and schoolgirls.
Analysts contend that school sports were completely shoved onto a side and ignored while repugnant physical activities under the guise of “health spas” were allowed to take place.
“The government is only good at boasting that it is streets ahead of successfully containing Covid 19 than other countries. But these boasts and words cannot match deeds when it comes to school sports,” said a rugby coach.