In view of the January 8 presidential election, Government and private schools countrywide will be closed for three days on January 7, 8 & 9 and reopened on January 12, the Ministry of Education said

Education Ministry Secretary Anura Dissanayake said first school term for 2015 would begin on January 5 and function on the 6th as well before the three-day closure.

He said the reason for the closure was that the schools, the principals and the teachers would be engaged in election duties.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry said 43 schools in Colombo would be closed until January 15 so that they could be used by the Police on security duties for the Pope’s visit from January 13 to 15.(DS)