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World Bank wants top officials retained in education project
By Nilika Kasturisinghe
The World Bank has expressed concern over a government decision to end the services of three top officials in charge of an education reforms project it is funding, saying that it will seriously affect the continuity and the smooth functioning of the work.

The Rs. 1850 million World Bank funded General Education Project 2 (GEP2) focuses on the rehabilitation of schools in the war-ravaged areas, improvements in teaching English and information technology in school curricula.

Director D. Basnayake, and Deputy Directors P. Udugampola and H. S. Wijeratne had reached 60 and the Education Ministry had decided to terminate their employment contract, but the World Bank in a recent report said the ministry should carefully consider the staff requirement for the project for the continuity of activities.

"Continuity of key PCU (Project Coordination Unit) staff on the project is most important at this time," the World Bank said. "With only 18 months to go on the two projects and at such a critical time of implementation, the International Development Agency is seeking to resolve this staffing issue with Sri Lankan government."
The government, however, is enforcing the 60 year age rule, despite a recent ruling by the AG that the the sixty-year rule was not mandatory.

Writing on behalf of the Attorney General, State Counsel Uditha Egalahewa in a letter to the Education Ministry Secretary, states, "Persons above the age of 60 years may be employed on contract basis for foreign-funded projects with the approval of Cabinet Ministers."

With the Director and two Deputy Directors contracts terminated and there will be no experienced persons to see the project through to the end, and the continuity of the project is threatened, project officials said. The project was to be completed by the end of this year but the World Bank has the extension of project for another year as more than 25 percent of the project is yet to be completed.

Disaster body under review, says Minister
Proposals to strengthen the National Disaster Management Centre by developing early warning mechanisms and other measures needed to minimise the damage caused by natural disasters are being studied, Minister Karu Jayasuriya said.

Mr. Jayasuriya who heads the Cabinet Sub Committee on Disaster Management said the government had sought an evaluation report on disaster preparedness from the United Nations Development Programme while it was also studying proposals to strengthen the existing NDMC.

The Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) circulated a proposal among all Cabinet ministers recommending that the NDMC should be restructured and converted into a Disaster Mitigation and Management Authority (DIMMA), but the minister said the government was yet to study the proposal.

Meanwhile, the IES has decided to meet President Kumaratunga under whose purview comes disaster management, and relevant ministers to discuss their proposal which was formulated after a recent panel discussion.

The IESL pointed out that the NDMC worked with a skeleton staff and therefore was inefficient in carrying out a coordinated programme. The discussion comprising a technical panel from the IESL, the Institute of Civil Engineers, UDA, RDA, Centre for Housing, Planning and Building (CHPB), National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and academics from universities said the existing NDMC lacked the mitigation aspect in disaster management.

"The benefits of pre-disaster mitigation measures outweigh the post-disaster expenditure by achieving considerable reduction in loss of life, property damage and destitution. Disaster Management must be looked at in a proactive manner rather than being reactive after a disaster occurs," the IESL said.

The NDMC was set up in 1996 and comes under the purview of the President. Although it was established for prevention, mitigation and planning of disaster management, the havoc caused by floods in May had proved that the NDMC have to be made more effective.

Last Monday, President Kumaratunga met Minister Jayasuriya and other members of the NDMC to discuss moves to strengthen the existing disaster management mechanism.

Finance Ministry allows NE PC violate tender procedure
The Finance Ministry has given the go-ahead for a tender of consultancy service approved by the North East Community Restoration and Development Project (NECRDP) in alleged violation of Finance Ministry regulations.

NECRDP which comes under the provincial council and which helps rehabilitation of affected persons called for a tender of consultancy service for Rs 130 million, bypassing the regulation that it should have consulted the Ministry of Provincial Councils. According to the regulations, to approve a tender over Rs 100 million the body is bound to obtain the permission from the relevant Ministry.

The Finance Ministry instead of halting the tender has allowed the NECRDP to go ahead with the transaction, stating that the NECRDP had already gone ahead with part tender procedures and it should now go ahead with the project.

Principal transferred after dispute at Visakha
The principal of Visakha Vidyalaya has been transferred to the Ministry of Education and a new principal has been appointed to the school following unrest in the school, Ministry sources said. They said the decision had been taken by the Ministry in consultation with the Public Services Commission.

Education Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku confirmed that the principal of the school had been replaced. The unrest is reported to have continued for several months leading to a division within the school. Teachers also had picketed against the principal, with several parents, old girls and descendants of the founder of the school expressing serious concern, the sources said.

The former principal, Ms. M.D.I. Siriwardene, is reported to be out of the country on a tour with the netball team to Australia.The incident reportedly took place following the transfer of four teachers from the school.The new principal, Ms. R.N. Amerasinghe, who is currently the principal of Girls High School, Kandy is yet to assume duties.

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