Schoolboy rejected by school over HIV suspicion -- Updates 4

Finally, Kuliyapitiya child gets school ....

on President's orders!

It is with great joy that we bring you the happy news that the phenomenon of the Kuliyapitiya child who was unfortunate in finding admittance to a school and around whom rumours were circulating that he was AIDS afflicted, bringing a shock to everybody throughout the last few weeks has finally
ended on a happy note today.

The President Maithripala Sirisena spoke to the child's mother over the telephone today (05) and had mentioned that he would look into this matter with great interest and with the mediation of the government he would take steps to provide him with facilities of a school for his future education and other facilities necessary for him.

On the orders of the President, Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayaka went to Kuliyapitiya today and having confronted the child and his mother connected the President over the phone.

A false rumour the child's deceased father had been afflicted with AIDS and a rumour that even the child's mother too had been afflicted with AIDS in addition to the child himself also afflicted in that manner (who in fact was free from any such tragic disease) was circulated and on that basis the child was deprived of being admitted to a school as a result of which an action was launched by some Kuliyapitiya villagers. However after the child's mother staged a protest of fasting, education authorities had taken steps to admit the child to one school. But what these utterly superstitious and uneducated parents had done on that occasion was to isolate this child and remove the other children from the school.

This injustice portrayed the lack of knowledge of Sri Lankan villagers about health and therefore specialist doctors from Colombo who went there and made an effort to convince them and change their attitudes as a solution to the situation however was futile, thus exposing the difficulty in changing their traditional views.

Minister Ranjan visited the child in his home today and he had engaged in playing around with the child and he had enjoyed himself sharing sweets with the child. The President had finally mediated and brought a solution to the child's issue.

 After reading Gossip Lanka news about this helpless child, both local and overseas readers whose hearts were touched had enquired as to how they could give their support and we wish to convey this tidings of joy while conveying our thanks to all of them.

Finally the most significant matter that comes to light is that most people in Sri Lanka are still gripped with their traditional knowledge and therefore the time has come for their dearth of information and their lack of scientific and logical knowledge be adjusted. The BBC video when the President engaged in the telephone call, from below