Letters to the Editor
View(s):The need of the hour is a national plan for reconstruction
The loss of life and property damage caused by the recent cyclone and flood is significant. Cyclone Ditwah can be described as the most severe natural disaster in recent history. The property damage incurred exceeds that of the tsunami, and efforts to find missing persons are still ongoing.
As a nation we have gained experience from such calamities; however, we have yet to successfully recover based on the lessons learned from those instances. Having been battered by the tsunami, we missed the opportunities we had to rebuild the country as a nation.
Some countries in the world have rebuilt themselves after facing similar disasters. Japan, which was devastated by a world war, now stands as a highly developed nation. In contrast, we have missed the opportunities presented to rebuild our country in the face of national catastrophes.
Even during this current disaster, we continue to receive aid from various countries. Rather than relying solely on this aid, we must act together as a nation to create a national plan for reconstruction ensuring we do not let the opportunity slip away as we have in the past.
C.D.J. Weerasena Boralesgamuwa
If you can’t stop the menace, at least control it
If the mushrooming of private tuition classes cannot be stopped, at the very least, firm regulations must be introduced to control this growing menace. The ruling party, which once strongly criticised the failures of the national education system and the financial burden placed on parents through private tuition, has remained silent while tuition masters have organised themselves and openly supported political campaigns.
As a first step, mass advertising through billboards and television should be banned. These advertisements ruin the calm appearance of cities and villages, display oversized photographs of children, and make exaggerated claims about examination results whose accuracy cannot be verified. Across the country, so-called “education halls” have sprung up at every corner, blocking public and private roads and disturbing the peaceful lives of residents. Such practices must be prohibited. Clear rules should also be introduced to limit the number of students attending a single class.
Furthermore, serious attention must be paid to the qualifications, professional conduct, and accountability of tuition teachers. For the first time, many of them have been seen openly canvassing students and parents, a practice that raises serious ethical concerns and must not be allowed to continue.
J. Attanayake Via email
Time to unite and rebuild
Cyclone Ditwah caused immense damage and loss of life in Sri Lanka. My deepest sympathies to people who lost their lives and those who lost their houses and belongings.
Although we received prior information about Cyclone Ditwah, our response was lethargic, a repetition of the 2019 Easter attack. Thanks to the people who worked day and night to normalise our country.
According to the World Bank, the damages are estimated at 4.1 Billion dollars.
Now it’s our duty as citizens to unite and help to build our nation without criticism and division among us. Let’s focus on solutions without passing the buck.
All the aid and grants we got from foreign countries and contributions from citizens should be accounted for and used to rebuild our beautiful nation.
Lal Kodituwakku Matale
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