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to the Editor |
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Education
system: Little room for choice The system
leaves very little room for choice, whether it is with regard to
medium of instruction or subjects offered for the A/ Level or university
education. The lack of an English medium in schools is a major problem.
For too long we have heard lame excuses such as where are the teachers,
where are the books etc. Surely, the
authorities should make it a point to answer those questions effectively.
Isn't that why they are in those jobs and are given such authority? Countries like
Malaysia put into effect efficient systems of teacher training before
introducing the English medium. It was hard at the start but they
attempted it early and vigorously, so they succeeded. We are still
debating the point. For how long more will we do this? How many
more generations of children will go through this primitive system
before our decision-makers wake up? Last year we
read of some innovative schemes initiated by the then Secretary
to the Ministry. I listened to her at a Rotary Club event where
she detailed out some plans that were ambitious but long overdue.
Unfortunately,
all that has been stopped now. What actually ails our decision makers,
I cannot fathom. Surely they should see how other countries have
developed, when they go on their numerous overseas visits. Don't
they realise that the best possible choice should be provided for
our children and every effort should be made to put such schemes
into operation without delay. I suppose those
who have the funds join a system which allows choice. Private and
international schools are a case in point. Maybe our policy makers
cater only to that select group and not those who actually voted
them into power. Steps to
solve ethnic crisis * All three
languages should be made compulsory in every school. * All religions
should be taught in every school. * Children
of all communities should be admitted to schools without discrimination. * Monks/priests
of all religions should be debarred from politics. * No monks/priests
should be allowed to get onto a stage or speak at political meetings.
* All rights
and privileges should be given to all communities without discrimination.
* Only if the
government can implement these steps will we be able to forge ahead
in the right direction. Courteous
and duty- conscious I am happy
to state that already this is being put into effect by the Poddala
Police Station in Galle.Recently when I visited the police station
to obtain a certified copy of my wife's complaint on the loss of
her handbag with the NIC, Savings Bank book, my pension voucher
and house key, the police officers attended to my need promptly.
I observed that all the officers were very courteous and duty- conscious.
I take this opportunity to express my appreciation and salute the
OIC and staff of the Poddala Police. Putting a
check on road demons I would like
to suggest an interim solution to this problem which can be executed
with the cooperation of the police and the passengers. A police post
should be set up at the main bus depots and passengers encouraged
to report their observations on the safety standards of drivers. It is possible
that the driver of a bus may be drunk or in a belligerent state
of mind which may perhaps cause him to drive recklessly. Up to now
there has been no provision for a passenger who has alighted from
a bus, to complain about the driver's dangerous driving. No action can
be taken to ensure that an errant driver is brought to book in time
to prevent a fatal accident. If my suggestion
is acted upon, immediate action can be taken by the Police Post
to ascertain if the driver reported by the passenger for bad driving,
is drunk or otherwise unsuitable to be behind the wheel. Police officers
in civies should also travel in buses for short distances to give
an unbiased report on drivers and conductors. Fragile petals
of pinkThe phone did ring - One-way
systems for a smooth run As these roads
run parallel and have several roads that connect them to each other,
it should be a workable system. There may be teething problems that
could be ironed out. CEB's
dark ways I have lived
in Europe, the USA and also travelled to more than 50 other countries
worldwide but never have I come across regular power cuts like in
Sri Lanka! Why cannot we do our maintenance without turning off
the power to a whole town? I think it is just laziness or incompetence,
or both. The easy way out is to cut off the power without worrying
about lost productivity, inconvenience and danger to people's lives.
Patients need
to keep certain medicines such as insulin under refrigeration. Eight
hours without refrigeration and the medicine is unusable. Each vial
costs Rs. 800. Similarly,
spoilt food has to be discarded. People have
functions in their homes such as alms givings and pirith ceremonies,
all of which are ruined because of these power cuts. We don't have
power for eight hours about once every three months in my area.
The reasons are to cut branches overhanging power lines. I watched
them one day. They cut one branch, which took about one minute,
but we had no power for eight hours. I believe that
the CEB is responsible for much of the country's economic and other
woes. Marine
Drive: after the fanfare But with the
election of the UNF government, this work has stopped. Some land
owners have even reoccupied vacated lands and put up semi- permanent
structures, storing building materials etc. The people
need answers to the following: * What is the
reason for the Marine Drive project to be stopped? * If residents
are objecting, what action is being taken by the government and
the CMC? * If work is
being held up due to lack of funds, can the Mayor reveal the following
information: Total income of the CMC for 2001; amount set aside
for investment purposes; amount set aside for recurrent expenditure;
and when the work on the Marine Drive will recommence? English
to the fore Even though
there are more than 9,000 state schools, almost all the other nominees
were from independent denominational schools, state assisted denominational
schools and former denominational schools now functioning as state
schools. This leads us to believe that a criterion for selection
would have been proficiency in English. If the future leaders of
Sri Lanka are to be selected, the pattern is likely to be similar.
This situation
reminds us of the campaign C.W.W. Kannangara carried out in the
1940s for free English education. The verse he often quoted at his
meetings was: 'Letters
to the Editor' should be brief and to the point.
Address them to: 'Letters to the Editor, The Sunday Times, P.O.Box 1136, Colombo. Or e-mail to steditor@wijeya.lk or stfeat@wijeya.lk Please note that letters cannot be acknowledged or returned. |
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