Education Minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha said that the need of the hour is to regulate internet usage of children like in developed countries.
The Education Minister said that even in many developed countries, internet use is implemented with regulation since misuse of digital technology has caused many social problems including child abuse.
The Minister expressed these views while participating in a programme organized on the occasion of Child Abuse Prevention Day recently.
The Minister pointed out that the current society is in a constant state of competition in the face of increasing social and economic problems, and because the nature of competition is to strive for achievement, we have a generation facing mental depression and stress. For this reason, it is essential to pay more attention to the field of psychiatry in future training programmes.
He said that problems within the family are a strong cause of problems such as child abuse and children becoming addicted to drugs. He pointed out that the reasons such as isolation of children, parental disputes, lack of attention to children and illiteracy have contributed to these problems. He also mentioned that necessary measures should be taken by conducting further surveys in this regard.
The Minister stated that some people argue that it is inappropriate to introduce sex education in schools, and that it should be included in the school curriculum in a more suitable manner, and said that attention has been paid to it in the upcoming education reform measures.
Dharma Sri Abeyratne