March 17, Colombo (LNW): The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has issued directives to Royal College, Colombo 7, concerning reported irregularities in the appointments to the Prefects Council for the year 2024.
This action follows seven complaints lodged by students of Royal College who alleged violations of their rights in the appointment process for prefects in 2024.
The complaints were directed against the Principal of Royal College, the Director of National Schools, and the Minister of Education.
Copies of these complaints were also forwarded to the Secretary of the Education Ministry, the Minister of Education, and the Presidential Investigation Commission.
Under the leadership of Justice L.T.B. Dehideniya, the HRCSL conducted an inquiry into the initial complaints on Friday, March 15. During the inquiry, the appointment criteria for two randomly selected prefects and two rejected candidates were examined.
The commission identified irregularities and failures to adhere to the required criteria in the appointment of two prefects, while it was found that two qualified candidates were denied their positions.
Following the initial inquiry, the HRCSL directed the representative of the school, present during the proceedings, to rectify the alleged wrongful appointments and reach a resolution with the group of students who filed the complaints.
However, if the school fails to address the issue satisfactorily, the HRCSL indicated that a full inquiry would be conducted, with the involvement of all relevant parties, including the principal.
The continuation of the inquiry has been postponed to March 20.
The complaints submitted to the HRCSL by seven students highlighted the established criteria for the selection of members to the Prefects Council, which include academic excellence, participation in extracurricular activities, involvement in clubs and societies, and attendance records.
The complainants alleged that the recent appointments did not adhere to these criteria and that individuals who had allegedly brought disrepute to the college were appointed as prefects.
