HelpAge educates principals on values of elders | Daily News

HelpAge educates principals on values of elders

Director G.C. Mendis addressing the school principals.
Director G.C. Mendis addressing the school principals.

An awareness programme on the importance of looking after elders during their twilight days was presented and demonstrated to 65 Principals and Education Directors in the Nuwara Eliya Educational Zone by HelpAge Sri Lanka (HASL) ) at a seminar conducted in collaboration with the Education Department.

The message of the seminar will be delivered to schoolchildren by Principals and it will help younger generation to inculcate human and moral values.

Before the presentation, HelpAge, Youth Education Director G.C. Mendis quoted Albert Einstein and said that the spiritual and emotional intelligence is the function of intuitive mind.

Director Mendis denoted that elders in the past sacrificed their lives for the younger generation. He quoted Mahathma Ghandi and said “Gratitude is the fairest blossom of the Soul”.

He presented many illustrations on elders to the principals through multi media and video clips. Mendis also briefed the principals on the`Gerontology’ and Geriatric. He said the `Gerontology’ is a scientific study of old age and the process of ageing and also the problems related to old people, while `Geriatric’ is related to the medical and social Science dealing with health and welfare of old people.He mentioned the services being rendered by HelpAge for elders including the conducting of free cataract surgeries at HelpAge eye hospital, Wellawatta, free mobile camps all over the country, advocacy programmes for elders and a care service to look after senior citizens. Nuwara Eliya Education Zonal Director S.Piaydasa highlighted the value of conducting this “Training of Trainers” (TOT) programmes and said the message could be passed to a large section of schoolchildren through principals.

After giving a patient hearing to the speech given by the HelpAge Youth Education Director, Zonal Education Division, Principal A .Yogesparam advised Principals and Directors to pass the message to students even inside the classroom.

Glasgow Tamil Vidyalaya, Principal V.Indra Thanked HelpAge for creating the awareness of schoolchildren on the value of caring and protecting elders.

Kenilan Tamil Vidyalaya Principal A.Sundaram, Principals S Glory, T.Chandrakala and Udaya Kumar spoke on the value of elders.

HASL Executive Director Samantha Liyanawaduge said HelpAge conducted free cataract surgeries for senior citizens, distributing free Spectacles to needy elders and disability equipment including wheelchairs and crutches.


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