Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament on Wednesday that the Treasury would consider providing financial assistance for a Bandarawela Dharmasoka Vidyalaya student who suffered severe facial burns in a laboratory accident at the school, Newswire reported.
Speaking during the parliamentary sitting, the Transport and Highways Minister and Leader of the House said that if the family submitted the student’s medical details, the Treasury could route emergency support through the Education Ministry to cover hospital costs. Rathnayake said the government recognised the gravity of the injury and would work to ensure the child received specialist care. The lab incident — understood to involve a chemical mishap during a science class — has drawn parental concern across the Bandarawela district about safety protocols in school science laboratories.
The Education Ministry has not yet released a formal incident report. Opposition MPs from the Uva Province raised the question in the House and called for an islandwide audit of school-laboratory safety standards, citing concerns that several schools operate science labs without adequate ventilation, eye-wash stations or first-response kits. Rathnayake said the Education Ministry would be asked to brief the House on lab-safety standards.
The case follows a series of accidents in school environments in recent months and adds to pressure on the Education Ministry to publish a clearer school-safety framework. Health officials at Bandarawela Hospital have said the student is in stable condition and receiving treatment for facial burns, with potential transfer to a tertiary burns unit if reconstructive surgery is required.
Sources: Newswire — Govt pledges support for student injured in Bandarawela school lab accident.
