In ordinary sense, learning a language as we were made to understand through our own experience with the English language is not only reading and writing but also speaking, for those are three integral parts that necessarily combine to form any language. This had been true in the past but today, many decades later, language too seems to have undergone a change like anything else, to treat speaking as a separate subject which has now come to be popularly known as 'Spoken English'. It looks as though there are teachers, specially, trained in this new subject which is in great demand and bringing in much prospects. Weekly papers are filled with advertisements, and the city walls are covered with posters in large print, offering expert services for improving ability in spoken English of both students and adults, particularly, the professionals. I am given to believe the taciturn, mute attitude, adopted in teaching English in schools by the present day teachers, is the major cause that has given rise to this new development in the field of national education.

While this continues to be the position, a recent report in the press had disclosed how a speech delivered in English, by the Leader of the Opposition in the District Council of Panadura, had sparked off a pandemonium when those who had no knowledge of the language rose in protest. Further, in their fit of abomination to speaking in English, some had threatened to address in Tamil too. Subject to a close analysis this provocation seems to boil down to class discrimination, at its depth, where only the moneyed people are privileged today, to acquire a proficiency in the English language through Private and International schools, denied to the majority. Further, this language issue has now gone far into national levels disqualifying the learned youth graduated from universities, at personality testing interviews for jobs.

This is a matter of grave concern which should receive the urgent attention of the authorities by delving into the root cause of this ominous development. Malady, however, afflicting the so called educated community, is their incompetence in English.

Today, it has become an open secret and tragedy that various degree holders and the professionally qualified as well, are faced with the problem of using the English language competently, especially, in the fundamental exercise of speaking it. This impasse, in any way is not a sudden discovery but a fact with a fairly long history behind, which needs be mentioned as necessary for discussion in this essay, and which bears no intention of malice or contempt. Besides those studying in the streams of Arts or Commerce who are mainly instructed in Swabhasha, the rest of the undergraduates are fortunate enough to enjoy the privilege of qualifying themselves through the medium of English. But, still surprisingly, they make no exception to their counterparts in their disappointing performance of conversational English. Needless to mention, that high standards and traditions maintained in education, both at university and schools as far back as late fifties, have now dwindled to appalling levels, a fact the present generation seems to be unaware of.

While the case of the Swabhasha degree holders is beyond hope, today most young professionals of every field such as, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers accountants etc. show distinct sign of unsteadiness in their conversation, resulting from the lack of command of the English language. Unlike the students, still in pursuit of studies, those categories of society that are looked on with respect, distinctly, from the others for their social importance by virtue of their acquired learning, can diminish in the eyes of the public, for the immediate reason of their lacking in fluency. Irony is, disillusionment with them caused by their low profile, seems to concern them very little, for many of them take no effort in improving their quality of oral expression which easily reflects their personality.

It is important to note, the emphasis laid on state controlled economy, started in late fifties upto late seventies, has shifted to establish a policy of open economy over the years thence forth. The obvious result is that the Private Sector has emerged to be the sole monopoly in generating employment, while the dissipating Public Sector can, no further, provide even unproductive jobs for thousands, proficient only in Swabhasha, as was done earlier.

In this ever expanding free economy, keeping with the order of the day, in the absence of a practical alternative, business is the hallmark for which the use of English has become indispensable, however much, Swabhasha has been given official recognition. In the face of the above reality the present education policy is inadequate to meet with the situation, that has already developed, and the outcome of which is the entire student community being subjected to uncertainties of their future, depsie their having acquired a higher learning.

This awkward predicament in which they are caught is a direct result of the teaching methods, lacking imagination, whereby their use of English as well as knowledge is directed at passing an examination as the only goal in education, confining them to wading through lecture notes like the gospel held in awe. Text book cramming in solitude forms the other major source of learning, with having little or no interaction through English, as the medium of communication, needed in improving ability to speak. Self reliant exploration of subjects of study in research, and originality for seeing something in a perspective, different from what is oft repeated in banal lectures, seem to be matters for the forgotten past. Seldom are they encouraged by the teachers in such lofty aims, while examination success with the least trouble matters them most, fitting into their limited sense of education.

Due to this unsound practice of learning, they totally overlook the practical use of this invaluable lingua franca in society at large, keeping it restricted to the four walls of the lecture room. It is a pity they suffer from a cultural inhibition from using English in conversation. Needless to say, regular engagement in talking is the only means of acquiring fluency which helps them get over their fear, nervousness and difidence. The fortunate few who hail from social strata, exposed to the influence of English speaking environment, are better placed than those with monosyllabic answers, at interviews for both local and foreign appointments.

In the good old days there was a viva voice for those who succeeded at written tests which served as a hurdle before the final selection, where the ability of students to converse the language was revealed, projecting each candidate's personality. This process compelled them attempt at developing the faculty of speech at a higher level of fluency. But, today, unfortunately, this is what the so called learned youth lack, thereby making them unemployable in the ever expanding Private Sector, where employers have no choice but turn them down. But again, it has resulted in missing opportunities for harnessing their talents in other fields.

This amounts to colossal waste of human resources at national level while the job seekers thus dropped, are also rendered without means for their living. Nor is it wise for any government to undermine or flirt with this grave problem which, if not solved, can assume proportions beyond redemption. Indeed, when the right to obtain a source of living is denied in a society where so called democracy reigns, it is nothing out of the ordinary, the victims, particularly, the educated youth tend to direct their attention to unconstitutional and violent means such as subversion or insurrection as outlets for their agitation.

It is puzzling these victims of language don't take pains to fit in the circumstances, at least, through their personal endeavour because the current education policy does hardly offer a solution in this regard with its negative attitude, practised by every successive administration, since Swabhasha was made the medium of instruction at schools. Teachers, today, who are supposed to have acquired a training in teaching the subject English, do maintain an air of taciturnity which is a salient feature in their class room demonstrations. Mainly, what passes for teaching English is, invariably, referring pupils to the uninspiring exercise of matching words, underlining or filling the blanks. With heads down they let go making it their choice of the O/L paper.

Having not been taught the fundamentals of sentence formation, writing composition, in their own expression, has become something alien to them. They will attempt at a possible chance at examinations by memorising a few model essays. Teachers have lost sight of the fact that gaining ability in speech would help students do well, at essay writing too, in addition to oral expression. What is put in black and white, is what one should be able to orally express.

This lack of speech exercise in the class room can be ascribed to the lack of fluency on the part of the teacher who is also a previous victim of the same policy. In the alternative, he may not see the importance of tapping their potential of speech as no test of speech is prescribed in the syllabus.

In fairness to everybody, it must be said even when English was the medium of instruction in schools, difficulty in getting students to speak it, did exist, sometimes to a greater degree than now. Unlike today, majority of the students came to schools in the city from homes where the parents knew only Sinhala or Tamil. In provincial towns, very few were the parents who has an early English education for at early stages of the Colonial rule, it had been the privilege of a wealthy few.

However, the teachers who were devoted to their noble profession saw to it, that students acquired the ability to speak the language without which they could not become accomplished. Therefore, aside from discharging the official duty of a teacher, their tremendous enthusiasm in seeing the students achieve the desired aim made them adopt even unofficial devices, that would accelerate its course. Maintaining a till in the class room was one such method which I shall never forget, for I had been a victim of it many a time, but it did have the desired effect on us. The teacher had the till on the table before him which, more or less, put a feeling of fear into us as a master of discipline did, but fun too, when the class burst into laughter at seeing some one getting caught and putting a coin into it.

The till made it compulsory for us to speak English in the class room, failing which, as a penalty, a substantial part of our days worth, the pocket money would reluctantly find its way into it. Thus, we were censored from giving the usual expression to our incessant school gossip with greater eloquence through our mother tongue. More than the cumbersome task of putting together words into a form to let out our ideas, very often not grammatical, we resented at the thought of losing any of the few coins we preserved for the interval to come. Sometimes, the eventuality was that we would miss the savoury fish roll or the tea bun which we used to relish, jamming through the school tuck shop.

Such simple but practical methods employed with firm resolution had great effect on improving our faculty of speaking English. They never sat dozing off until the higher authorities would wake them up with any wisdom dawned on them. The period, assigned for 'speech' from the primary classes upto secondary levels, was able to stimulate interest in us to speak, when we were made to act simplified plays and stories from the great authors with emphasis laid on delivery. However, today, in this computer age high priests of modern education inundated with ultra modern techniques of teaching, should act immediately to salvage the student community from sinking with lost bearings.

R. L. Lalprema,
Colombo

Pollution of sea, specially by oil leaks from tankers, is rated as worst of its kind, by environmental monitoring authorities the world over.

Unfortunately, crude oil leaked into the sea at outer-harbour has already caused environmental destruction along the beaches from the Port to beyond Wellawatte, and the actual damaged caused to marine life and plant, and environment is yet to be assessed, it is believed, it would take years for the effects to become neutralised.

This incident has raised anger of the public, specially of environmentalists and nature lovers, seeing Senior Officials of the various corporations and authority blaming each other over this wanton destruction, whereas it has been reported that politicians and officials has stepped down or resigned from their position over environmental issue recently in Asian Pacific countries.

As a measure to combact the pollution, few men with back-pack hand sprayers, spraying chemicals along the coast coated with tonnes of black oil, was viewd by all as a practical joke, which act caused some laughter.

Responsible authorities for prevention of sea polition, and Ministry officials appears to have forgotten about the impending disastrous effects would be caused, in the event of tonnes and tonnes of oil from the vessel M.V. Cordiality, which is presently lying off the coast of Pulmoddai after an attack by terrorists a few years ago when the vessel was berth alongside the Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd. pier loading mineral sand for exports.

Patches of oil slick have already begun to float away from this grounded vessel says several eye-witnesses who visited there recently.

No decision has been taken yet, to salvage the oil, mineral sand from her hatches of the vessel, by the vessel owner, Agent in Colombo Lanka Mineral Sands or the Marine Pollution Prevention Authority (MPPA) created by the present government, for the purpose of prevention of pollution, surrounding the Island's costal area.

With monsoonal rains, the sea being rough in the area, and it is evident of another sea pollution of greater magnitude.

It is upto some powerful task force to take prompt action or are we going to appoint a commission to inquire into the matter after everything has happned?

Naheer Taip,
Wattala.

Now comes this unbelievable and rather bizarre story from Kandy about a menstruating male. The story which appeared in the 'Island' would have many a male clutching his abdomen in stark fear every time he got a pain in that region. Who wouldn't break out into a cold sweat at being in the same state as thsi thirty two year old man that etched himself into the annals of medical history.

It was a sensational discovery that must have both the surgeon and patient in a deep state of shock. For the man concerned he must feel he has set a rather undignified surgical precedent. For the surgeon involved it must have been an experience he is not likely to forget. He would have recoiled in absolute surprise at what he saw when he opened up his patient.

The patient who had been in constant discomfort had gone to several places seeking relief from his pain. Since this was not to be he had gone to the Kandy hospital. There a young surgeon came to the conclusion that the patient was having cancer in the abdomen and decided to pull it out. Imagine that doctor's astonishment when he discovered virtually a complete set of female organs including part of a womb.

Now if this man knew about it, it was a dirty trick to play on the surgeon. The description of all that happened could be a trifle revolting but the gist of it all was that the assortment of female organs inside the patient namely a part of a womb, a fallopian tube and a lump which had been caused by his menstruating had been removed by that somewhat bewildered but quick thinking surgeon.

It was a nasty trick on the part of nature to play on a surgeon so early in his career. He would be a rather diffident doctor after that. He would not know what shocks would lie ahead for him later and realize that he cannot go by the book. The patient on the other hand would have been thinking of what might have been. It needed just one or two more organs for him to have rollicking sex life switching roles as he fancied.

Imagine a being having the capacity to play the role of both male and female when he felt like it with equal facility. No one has had that advantage yet one feels and he missed it by a hair's breadth. He would have been a great asset to his friends and quite a few strangers as well. His spouse on the other hand would not have liked this versatility very much. But then you can't please everybody in this wide world.

The home too would have been a pretty crowded but jolly place with both parents giving birth to their respective kids. There could be one hitch however when they were told that their father was their actual mother. How? They would quite naturally ask and then scream out with laughter at what they would consider a joke in poor taste. Later, perhaps they would be very thoughtful children trying to work out that riddle.

The couple might have been able to save quite some money by going to the maternity clinic together . On the other hand they could have run into a few complications. When the husband told the doctor that he was pregnant himself. He would have been asked not to be funny and possibly get out. If he persisted the doctor thinking he was more nuts than pregnant might have directed him to the asylum to create further complications for the authorities there.

Although nominations are going ahead pell-mell, there is every possibility of the P. C. elections being postponed "until the war is over". As to when that will be only God and General Ratwatte seem to know, six months according to the latter. Reason for postponement, it is said, is the difficulty of releasing about twenty thousand personnel from the battle areas for election duty. I fully agree with that.

However, to postpone elections even at the worst of times is for the government to get unpopular and also lay itself open to the charge of subverting democracy. This is a very serious matter. Therefore a viable alternative has to be found. This, may I suggest, can be done by a very simple manoeuvre, that is to "stagger" the elections as often done in India, so that instead of having it all in one day, it could be "one council at a time". (just like "one donkey at a time") which can be repeated in the different provinces every three or four days, with the ballot boxes held in spirit proof conditions until all the provinces are covered, after which the counts can be proceeded with.

If this procedure is followed, no personnel at all from the embattled areas need be deinducted, leaving General Ratwatte who in my humble opinion is a sincere gentleman who says what he means and means what he says, free to finish off the war within his stipulated period of six months, while keeping Mr. D. E. M. O'cracy alive and kicking. Over to you, the powers that be.

Dr. Felix Fernando
Wennappuwa

Today, July 22, 1998, is the third anniversary of the death of Mr. Mailvaganam Mathiaparanam. He was just four days short of his eighty first birthday when he died.

During the past three years praise and thanks for his life's work have been abundant. These encomiums have been showered on him not only by employees and the leaders of Trade Unions, but also, with equal sincerity, by employers, especially some leading industrialists.

They had all known his unbiased and unconquerable spirit of fairness when he was called upon to adjudicate between capital and labour, between employer and employee.

It was clear that, as the senior officer of the Labour Department dealing with industrial disputes, Mr. Mathiaparanam had the precision of enormous discipline. His pragmatism was combined with an acute awareness that his decisions must affect strategic variables that might influence the country's industrial development.

He was therefore always careful to see that his decisions would not result in bottle-necks that might hinder the course of labour intensity in developmental corporations and national industrial enterprises. It will suffice if just one illustration of his inflexible commitment to a fair and far-reaching decision is given.

This has to do with a case of profit sharing. Even though it was some years later that profit sharing was specified in a Throne Speech of a government of Mrs. Bandaranaike, it was under the government of Mr. S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike that profit sharing was deliberately initiated. This was when in 1959 the workers of the C.W.E. were given twenty five per cent of this corporation's nett 1958 profits. The C.W.E.'s profitable working in 1958 was indeed a fantastic change from its activity in previous years, during which it had incurred extravagent losses.

Later in 1959 the new management of the C.W.E. met Mr. Mathiaparanam at a number of conferences. Tremendous pressure was exerted on him to have this payment of a share of the C.W.E.'s 1958 profits to its workers declared ultra vires. He consistently turned down this proposition. But it required courage and determination to do so.

Mr. Mathiapara-nam’s services continued to be sought even after his retirement by many industrial establishments. He accepted these invitations because it was his belief that a man who kept himself unoccupied after retirement was failing to contribute what he owed to life. And after his day's work he found in his own home enough to do which gave him pleasure and satisfaction.

For him his home was the quintessence of recreation. And others who visited him also found there a climate of comfort harmony and ease, an ambience of leisure and graciousness. And in this context a tribute is due to his wife and children. His wife used to say in a homely phrase that looking after her husband, who continued to work, was like carrying an unbroken egg around on a teaspoon.

In his last days one daughter, who was working in Kandy, came home to be with her father and practise her profession in Colombo, and another daughter came home from Canada to be with him. When death came to him he was surrounded by all his loved ones. A good life. A happy death. A blessed hereafter.

A. E. Gogerly Moragoda