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Morning Spice by Ginger
Economic struggle to go through the next yearA fit of puritanical conscience nearly hurled us down an abyss of bankruptcy. We are if ginger is not mistaken currently scraping the barrel pretty hard to get through the next year and it would have been sheer harakiri to knock the tobacco and liquor trade out of contention by banning advertising of liquor and tobacco. Fortunately there seems to be second thoughts on the issue. After all the stock market was showing an unhealthy look on its face and so were many revenue giving industries and commercial establishments.
After all tobacco and liquor were some of the principal contributors to government revenue. The more saintly among us may say that we cannot sell our conscience for the sake of money. But the more liberal minded would stress that refraining from drinking and smoking is up to the individual and one’s sense of what is good for one’s health. Now it has been accepted that moderate drinking is good for one’s health by a majority of medical scientists. As such has the government the moral right to overlook a possible health benefit when taking such a decision.
Florence Joyner
How correct was the impression that Florence Joyner died of an overdose of drugs. This may not be correct. At least the fact that none of the dope tests she took were positive could indicate that she was not relying on any drugs to improve her timing. Another fact about athletes has come to light.Those athletes who take part in power sports like, sprinting and every form of activity that calls for speed are more likely to get heart attacks than those that need endurance more than speed. A test conducted on soldiers who had left the army & revealed that those who did short distances better than those who excelled in long distance events who almost twice as likely to get heart attacks as the latter.
Cut back on defence
Was it a deal gone soon or was it a definite cut back on defence spending due to the on going recession. Brunei has slashed its ’98 budget by a massive 27 per cent and Britain may be the worst affected by its decision to go slow on its arms purchases. Brunei has evidently decided to call off an order for some 16 Hawk 100 jet fighter planes fitted with US side winder missiles.The order goes back to a decade ago when Brunei and UK agreed on a deal with about four hundred million US dollars. Then it was some time last year that the planes would he taken off the list and military analyst say that the Sultan may have decided to buy American F 16 Brunei will instead buy some patrol craft, from the UK, allow the Gurkha battalion to guard key oil installations and allow British troops to have training programmes in Brunei’s jungles.
Wanted greater transparency
Legitimise right to rescrutinise university answer scriptsIt should be apparent to many that there is a complete loss of faith in the examination results released by the universities today. According to my view, faith in university examinations could be restored only by releasing the detailed marks to candidates after each examination and by allowing the dissatisfied candidates to get their answer scripts rescrutinized by independent examiners. I strongly feel that if detailed marks are not released and rescrutiny not allowed, even the most well formulated reforms will be made ineffective. Making the examination system transparent and making examiners accountable are therefore essential ingredients that should be incorporated in the Action Plan for University Reform. It should be a cornerstone of any examination reform pogramme.
I think that we should examine the demand for release of detailed marks and the right to rescrutiny in some detail. There are at least three aspects to this. Firstly, if a student has a serious grievance he should have a right to appeal. This is a requirement of justice. This is especially required in a country like Sri Lanka where colossal sacrifices have to be made by a student and his family to bring a student up to the stage where he gets admission to a state university. The student has to spend all his spare time on tuition and studies to compete for the very limited places available, foregoing the pursuit of his normal youthful interests. He is also obliged to prove worthy of all the sacrifices made by his parents, in the primary and secondary stages of his education, until he reaches the much desired goal of university admission. Once he reaches this stage, they can relax only if they have the assurance that the system to which he gained admission is a clean and honourable one. If it is one that leaves room for insecure individuals to manipulate according to their whims and fancies, it would be detrimental to the interest of the student as well as to the country at large. Many present day university students lack faith in the integrity of their teachers to such an extent that blatant accusations are levelled against them. It is disconcerting to see these students pass out as bitter and disillusioned adults, distrustful and disrespectful of everyone and everything once held in high esteem. Therefore there is every reason that this right be given to students so they will know that they had been given a fair deal while in the university and have not been duped by some unscrupulous individuals who pose as university teachers.
Secondly, universities must strive to maintain credibility in their examinations because the future employers of graduates, especially the private sector, must have a guarantee that the grades obtained at examinations relate to abilities of the individuals. Otherwise they could be tempted to give preference to graduates of foreign universities even if the academic standards of some foreign universities may be lower. They would be at a loss as to the criterion through which the credentials of prospective applicants should be viewed.
Thirdly, we come to a most important aspect of the problem. I wish to propose here that those teachers who are not guilty of these accusations spearhead a campaign to grant this facility of rescrutiny to the students. The accusations levelled against university teachers have reached such alarming proportions that they have brought the entire university system to disrepute. An accusation that is sometimes voiced is that there are some examiners who have prepared mark sheets even without going through the answer scripts. I am sure all self respecting persons would resent such an allegation and owe it to themselves to get their names cleared. It is time for the university teachers to raise a cry of protest, at being identified with the lowly. They can do this by challenging these charges. It would be interesting to see whether these allegations are true because one may wonder why any person should bother to go through the tedious task of correcting boring answer scripts when he could submit a bogus marks schedule, knowing fully well that he will not be discovered. These allegations however far fetched, cannot be disproved so long as there is secrecy in the system. Therefore, it would be in the interest of the teachers, the institution as well as the student population to have this all important factor introduced in to the examination system.
It is said that when sometimes a vice chancellor tries to bring some form of redress to students due to persistent appeals. The Senate, (which comprises Senior Professors, Deans and Heads of Departments) has put up a strong front to oppose him. So comes the second accusation against them, that some of these teachers may have vested interests in the institution, that they retain their power to confer or withdraw good grades as they wish so that they can get their favourites on to the staff who would, when the time comes for them to retire, would help them through gratitude, to get extensions. The sad thing is that these accusations could be true. We often see university teachers though they retire at the age of 65, continuing on the staff on contract basis for several years. Their presence has to be recommended as being essential to the Department by the Head. Then there is also the case of some university teachers, who though they have left active service years ago, engage as external examiners in these institutions. Do they work for the love of the institution or are they paid for their services? It is strange that having worked to the ripe age of 65 and often for another year or two on a contract basis some academics have not been able to produce at least one or two students to carry on their life’s work after their retirement. It makes one wonder where their students are. Languishing on the pavements holding placards? Shouting slogans? Have they been purposely cut down? Should not these teachers step aside and make room for the youngsters who are on the threshold of adulthood? We are a nation with a very bright and promising student population who are known to perform very well in foreign countries. Should not the country promote them, those who remained behind, who definitely are the sparks among the lot? It is strange and saddening to watch universities, which are provided with the cream of our society, turning out individuals who find themselves stranded in their own country.
Therefore it becomes an ethical obligation on the part of university teachers to step forward, join the discussions in a responsible way and contribute their share in a fitting manner . It is their duty to preserve the honour and dignity of their institutions. Passivity and complacency will only make them silent accessories to unhealthy developments.
A Concerned Reader
Kandy.
A reply to Dr. Kariyawasam
Educating educatorsIn ‘The Island’ of 9th November Dr. Tilokasundari Kariyawasam declared that she does not wish to enter into a debate with me. In ‘The Island’ of 20 November also she declares that she does not wish to enter to a debate with me. Immediately after saying that, however, she continues to argue with me calling me among other things an ignoramus and a despicable violator of professional etiquette. Since she has given me such a bad name I might as well live up to it. After all, as Liza Doolittle said in Bernard Shaw’s play "Pygmalion": "The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaved but how she is treated." Or perhaps, on second thoughts I should ignore Dr. Kariyawasam and restate briefly the rationale for introducing the Common General Paper (CGP) into our examination system.
1. Circular No. 98/25 issued by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education states that admission to universities will continue to be done on the basis of aggregate of marks students get in the three subjects they offer at the G.C.E. (A/L) Examination.
2. Students will have to pass the CGP to qualify for admission to a university. The paper will be marked on a pass/fail basis.
3. The district quota system will not be changed by the introduction of the CGP.
4. The main purpose of introducing the CGP into our education system is to set in motion a specific reform in our approach to higher education. It will induce all students in the A/L classes to focus on acquiring a general awareness of the world in which they live, and to cultivate their problem solving skills, reasoning ability and comprehension and communication skills. These are essential to benefit from university education.
5. Without any special preparation 78% of 2469 students drawn from all nine provinces of the country, who participated in the pilot test reached the preset pass mark of 40%. What is worrying is that one out of every five children who sat the test failed to reach even the pass mark of 40%. Introducing the CGP will have a "backwash effect" on education i.e. it will affect teaching programmes in schools. For it is a truism that what is examined is taught, and what is not examined is not taught.
6. As a result of introducing the CGP if our children increase their general awareness of the world in which they live and hone their problem solving, reasoning and comprehension and communication skills, they will be better equipped to win the struggle for existence in the 21st century.
7. Dr. Kariyawasam has committed herself to opposing "rigorously and vehemently" the implementation of the CGP. This cannot be because she loves our children. I believe it is because she hates this government.
Prof. Carlo Fonseka
Quota mismanagement — President should act before garment industry is ruined
It was an act of Don Quixote that was enacted by the Consultant to the TQB making a statement over the MTV 10.30 p.m. news bulletin on 25.11.98. This was in the wake of three articles that appeared in the Island newspapers on November 7th, 13th and 23rd under the headings "Phantom Garment Factories" and "Quota letters only waste paper".
Instead of replying almost 19 charges levelled against the TQB ranging from a TQB member shipping dolls clothes under category 347 which quota is meant for pants and shorts for human beings to Phantom factories and TQB members grabbing hot quotas at the expense of the members of their associations to bringing losses running into hundreds of millions of rupees to a large number of factories with embargo situations.
He only mentioned about category 334/634 and dismissed it as a non-entity as if others are trying to create a storm in a tea cup. He does not touch on the other 18 or so charges. Further he makes no comment about the 5 suggested remedies in the letter of 23/11/98.
It was truly a pathetic performance because since 1978 when the garments industry took off until 1998, this is the first time three important quota categories came close to embargo situations within the same quota year.
In this scenario anyone who dismisses the quota mess lightly is either ignorant of facts or thick skinned to ignore all voices and continue to make hay while the sun shines or is it like playing the violin to a deaf elephant? If there is a single member in the TQB who has a conscience and respects business ethics he is yet to be identified.
Garment manufacturer
I write with reference to the letter of Mr. I.S De S which appeared in your newspaper recently and the subsequent letters on the subject.
I should first congratulate this civic conscious humanitarian citizen for having brought this matter to the attention of the public. In that regard I write to say that some of us, who have also seen these pitiable animals and even taken food to them have been failing in our duty.
I wish to bring yet another shocking aspect of this matter which I wish to bring to your notice is that these animals belong to a prominent monk! I did not at first believe it, but my inquiries sadly revealed that this was indeed true. Thanks to ‘Mr. I S’, this matter is now in the public domain. I am certain that I echo the sentiments of all the citizens of Colombo, when I say that sincerely hope that our Buddhist Mayor who is destined for greater things, would release these unfortunate animals. In anticipation we pray-that the Mayor and ‘Mr IS’ acquire much merit for their Humanitarian actions. Theruwan Saranie.
M. Ratnayake
Wellawatte
Salary increase for parliamentarians
The government has proposed to increase the salaries of the ministers and members of the parliament while the cries of the employees of the ‘running at loss’ state institutions fall on deaf ears. Those employees are leading only a difficult life without the 60% salary increase not being given to them from January, 98. But the ministers and MPs are, what a pity, leading a hand-to-mouth life and as such they very much deserve the 70 to 80% salary increase. No grumble, no grudge by them, whose 60% salary increase has been denied. But here too the government had done a grave injustice by not back dating their increase from the time of the PA government came into power, instead of the arrears only from January, 98. Since the ministers and MPs have ventured to serve the people, they should be served, well, not halved, with all super luxury items.
May be it is to meet the additional colossal expenditure of the parliamentarians that instructions had been given to the Dept. of Inland Revenue to obtain full details of the depositors of over one lakh in banks so that some financial concession could be found by introducing another GST - Gruesome Savings Tax. As a voter, more than a citizen, having voted PA last time, I humbly request the Deputy Minister of Finance and Justice Professor G. L. Peiris, who is very just in his commitments, not to give the proposed salary increase to the ministers under whose purview some state corporations are running at a loss.
Because employees of the ‘running at loss’ state institutions too are not given their balance increase of 60% from January, 98. So let all those who have some connections, whether responsible or not, with the ‘running at loss’ state institutions, share or suffer everything equally.
Another news item published last week states that the salaries of the senior executives of the state banks are to be increased by over 130%. If that is implemented inevitably the state banks will reduce the interest of the customers’ fixed deposits and other savings and increase their lending interests so as to pay such high salaries to their staff.
Last but not the least, at present we are spending half of our income to buy our onions, coconuts, rice etc. caused by shortages. (Not to mention about gas cylinders). Whether ULF or PA, shortages are part and parcel of their period of reigning, whether raining continuously or the sun is shining, apart from their other sinister commitments.
Nazly Cassim,
Colombo 01
Very often we see many vehicles accompanying politicians when they go about and the security personnel in these vehicles often abuse and threaten road users whom they happen to meet in their mad rush to reach whatever destination they are bound for.
The vehicles carrying these politicians violate all traffic rules - they do not heed the traffic lights, they do not permit others to have their right of way and they drive very recklessly. This may be due to the fact that they feel that they are God’s own chosen people being attached to the security divisions of important politicians. Is this type of pompous and boorish behaviour permissable in other countries too? Or is it only doing things a la Sri Lanka?
Non-VIP
Colombo
I read a news item to the effect that a certain political party of the red category (now turned pale red if not pink) which is a junior member of the ruling alliance, has held a meeting to pressurise a political party in the opposition to agree to the Government’s devolution proposals and reforms.
The LTTE has rejected the Government’s devolution proposals and as such it will be salutary if the same political party holds meetings in the north and east to compel the LTTE also to agree to the proposals.
On the other hand, it could be recalled that the same red shirts held a rally and demonstration with the support of the blues against the Tamil Language Provisions Bill introduced by the then government. The government party at that time did not hold rallies to compel the reds to agree to the Bill, but had it ratified by Parliament.
There were rallies in the past to persuade the people to accept a cut in the rice quota, to drink tea without sugar and cook curries without red chillies! And that even before the World Bank came along to compel the reds to accept its economic doctrine! Such rallies, therefore are nothing new in this country!
Perhaps historians may some day publish a book containing jokes wherein they will also find a place alongside Andare’s.
Upali S. Jayasekera.
Ombudsman
Ombudsman
Paddy fields as garbage dumps at HomagamaWe are writing this in desperation at the lethargy of the relevant officials of the Pradeshiya Sabha - Homagama regards the following as:
Garbage was earlier being dumped on the sly and thanks to inaction by the concerned authorities quite daringly now on both sides of the paddy fields at Makumbura, about 1/2 Km from Kottawa on the main road to Homagama.
A few months ago, after much persuasion and cajoling by a few determined nature lovers, the P.S. put up a few notice boards on either side of the road prohibiting dumping of garbage, and then completely forgot about the whole affair. Inspite of repeated appeals, they never bothered the least to enforce the prohibition, or at least make an attempt to do so. To the contrary they have adopted a fraudulent method. When the garbage piles up, a heavy earthmover from the P.S. pushes the dump further into the paddy land. Without finding ways and means to enforce the ban, they by this action send the wrong signals to the offenders,
After all, what are laws if they are not enforced !
On inspection further down the High Level Road towards Homagama town, we found that it is the same situation wherever paddy fields are to be found.
Also, on further inquiry into this lethargy and inaction by the P.S., we observed that this is a triangular affair and understanding to the benefit of three parties concerned.
1) Industrialists, owners of various hotels, restaurants and fish stalls and others who dump garbage for easy disposal.
2) The paddy land owners, who cannot fill paddy lands which is against the law. It is to their benefit if the land is filled by any means. Because, once filled they are able to fetch a higher price for the lands as they are by the side of the main road. Therefore they happily look the other way and let the P.S. push the garbage further into their paddy fields.
3) Finally the P.S. as for them, as long as a problem is solved by itself, even at the expense of health and the welfare of the public, environment, nature or any thing on this earth, they are be happy.
We desperately hope this will catch the eye of higher authorities.
‘Nature lovers‘
Homagama
