Schools issued instructions on face covering clothing and helmets

The Ministry of Education has issued a letter to school principals to ensure that teachers and staff members comply with the Gazette prohibiting face covering clothing and certain motorcycle helmets that prevent the identification of a person. 

The move comes in the wake of several issues that had cropped up at some schools over the past couple of days due to people entering schools with full-face helmets and certain teachers attending school with face covering clothing, due to being unaware of legal provisions introduced under the prevailing emergency laws.

The ministry said that Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam had directed his attention towards this matter and instructed the Secretary to the Education Ministry to write a special letter to the heads of schools containing instructions on how they should intervene regarding such matters and guidelines on wearing face covering clothing and motorcycle helmets within schools.

The said letter has also been attached with the Extraordinary Gazette notification issued under emergency laws on face covering and a drawing sent to the ministry from the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on acceptable and prohibited clothing and helmets.