Sri Lanka’s Education Ministry has warned school officials against exposing children to the sun as the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre issued a heat index advisory.
“As extreme hot weather may rise further today, tomorrow and the next day (Feb 28, 29 and March 1), avoid keeping school students outdoors in high temperatures,” the ministry said in a statement.
With temperatures expected to increase in the next few days, “students in any school in the island will not participate in outdoor sports training activities or sports events”. The Ministry of Education has advised all schools to refrain from engaging in any other external activity.
Instructions have been forwarded to the provincial and regional education authorities to inform principals, and “to proceed according to the series of instructions issued by the Ministry of Health”.
According to the Department of Meteorology forecast, the heat index, the temperature felt on the human body, is expected to increase up to the ‘Caution’ level at some places in the North-western, Western and Southern provinces and Ratnapura District.
A ‘Caution’ level denotes ‘fatigue is possible with prolonged exposure and activity. Continuing activity could result in heat cramps.
