Oct 24, Colombo: The United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele Sison has opened two schools in the conflict-affected eastern town of Batticaloa, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo said in a release.

Sison has opened the Kalumunthanveli General Tamil Mixed School in Porathivu Pattu DS division and Munaikadu Vivekananda in Paddipalai DS Division, Batticaloa recently. Both schools, educating about 1,200 rural students in the East, have been badly damaged during the conflict.

The schools have been built with the funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). U.S. Pacific Command has built and renovated classrooms, teachers' quarters, and lavatories.

Speaking at the opening ceremonies, Ambassador Sison has said that the U.S. Government understands the challenges people in the East have faced over the last 26 years, and it has been a central part of their work in Sri Lanka to support the next generation in the transition from conflict to peace.

"It has been difficult for people in many rural areas to have uninterrupted access to essential services like education. Since the war ended, the Sri Lankan government has begun to extend these services, and, with the support of USAID, and the United States Pacific Command (PACOM) we are happy to have been able to support them in their efforts," Sison has said.

Since 2008, USAID and the U.S. Pacific Command have supported schools affected by the conflict in the North and East of the country. Such infrastructure improvements and new facilities have enabled the schools to accommodate more students and guarantee year-round instruction, the U.S. Embassy says.