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| Monday, 29 April 2002 |
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Letters | |
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Please forward your letters to [email protected] in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.
Supportive trend to postal service It is generally accepted that among numerous services to the public at large, postal services of them all, render a voluminous commendable service. Administrative machinery of both State and private sector is very closely linked to postal service, and the impact on them widely large. Not only in our country, but also internationally postal service command a dynamic responsibility in its technology, especially in the transmission of information, correspondence with foreign countries etc. form routine practices by the public. Postal Department, while carrying out its responsibilities efficiently and methodically, agency post offices run with a licence from the Department, render a supportive service to upkeep its prestigious position. There are approximately 350 agency post offices islandwide with a workforce of around 1,500 persons, which invariably contribute, even in a small scale, to solve the burning question of unemployment. These Agency Post Offices work around the clock some of them even 24 hours and thereby perform a commendable service to the nation. In addition to their routine duties attending to postal services, they have extended their services for the greater convenience of the public collecting at their counters - * Electricity bills for Lanka Electric Company * Water Bills for the Water Supply and Drainage Board * Sale of Ridhee Rekha Lottery for the National Savings Bank, are only a few currently in operation. Plans are afoot to introduce more such collection in the future such as collection of CEB bills, police spot fines etc. In maintaining the operation of agency post offices efficiently, systematically and in conformity with departmental rules and regulations released from time to time, the Association of Agents of Agency Post Offices play a key role performing in that context. Almost all APOO have got them enlisted as members of the Association. Arrangements are now in progress to hold its AGM soon at which the Minister will grace the occasion. If there are any agents of Agency Post Offices who have hitherto not obtained the membership, the Association wish to make it clear that due recognition of an Agency Post Office is weighted on the membership of the Association especially in the procurance of additional privileges such as collection of bills etc., outside the scope of statutory postal duties. As such in the best interest of those agents not enlisted are kindly requested to initiate action, though late, immediately. For enlistment they may contact - Gamini Ramanayake, Secretary, Agents of Agency Post Offices. It is the ambition of the present minister to give every possible assistance to make the agency post offices concept more attractive in a manner to serve the public with greater enthusiasm and dedication. GAMINI RAMANAYAKE S.U.'s stumbling blocks? Apropos the news item 'S.U. to present four demands' (DN Apr. 19) it is ridiculous that the S.U. which could not secure even one per cent of votes at the General Elections now brags about championing the cause of internally displaced Sinhalese. The Government should view the proposed Sinhalunge Pibideema with its objective of getting rid of Ranil Wickremesinghe's Government 'which is so trusting to the LTTE leader' as a veiled threat to democracy and peace amounting to treason. It is fervently hoped that the PM will not swerve from the path of peace in resolving the ethnic conflict but proceed like the elephant that marches on majestically while the pug dogs bark. C.R.-Wattala Delays in Peradeniya's Engineering results My nephew and his batch sat their examination in November 2001. It is now almost 6 months and there is no sign of the results. American postgraduate applications closed in February. He could not apply. He cannot even apply for the few jobs available in Sri Lanka without his degree. Moratuwa graduates who sat their exam later are now concerning all the jobs. Furthermore, some students who failed subjects in their third year, sat again in January 2002. They too have not got their results but the Repeat exam is to be in May. Is it really fair to tell the students who fail, to re-do the exam with such short notice? Would they stand a chance at the exam without adequate preparation? Students are scared to make representations. Although I have told my nephew that good teachers will listen, he is scared of victimization. This is why the family has to write. We would meekly wait, but there is a new problem now. It turns out that a Department Head habitually cancels lectures. He was responsible for a final year course in computer networks but absconded for 3 months without teaching. When students complained that their lectures were not being conducted, a junior probationer was asked to teach. The probationer has since gone to the US on study leave after setting questions on what he taught. Although the final Exam was in November, it is only now that the Faculty has discovered that the Lecturer-in-Charge cannot mark the questions set by the probationer. Just last week the Faculty sought approval for new examiners to mark the scripts. If it takes the Faculty 6 months to mark an examination, will it take another six months to mark the paper on which they are yet to start? Unfortunately results cannot be released in parts so all the 300 odd students have to wait while this one computer network's paper involving a few students is marked. Foreign universities release results rapidly. Ruhuna's Engineering Faculty with almost no staff releases all exam results in 2 weeks. Moratuwa, although not as fast, also does it quickly. Why does Peradeniya have to take so long when they have so many PhDs? Don't the students matter to the academics there? It is not only a personal matter to us but also a national issue involving our oldest engineering faculty. Delaying 300 students by 6 months is wasting 150 man-years of our brightest children. Assuming a 60-year life-span, it is killing off two and a half of our best children. S. VISWANATHAN-Chunnakum Oil palm and anti-science zealotry As a participant who followed the whole seminar organised by the Section "B" of the SLAAS on the 4th of April on oil palm plantation and as a scientist participated in the discussion held subsequently it gave me a shock and a surprise while reading the article of Dr. U. P. de S. Waidyanatha appeared in the Agriculture Page of DN on the 23rd. The facts he has reported in that article are completely contrary to the outcome of the seminar held that day. All the environmental scientists including myself expressed factually the bad effects of oil palm plantation in the South of Sri Lanka to the environment, while the rubber experts enlightening the audience on the contribution of the rubber plantation in the country to the environment and especially to the economy of Sri Lanka. The fact that the plantation managing companies are diversifying rubber into oil palm in Galle and Kalutara districts mislead badly by the report submitted by the CRI without carrying out a scientific study was clearly established at the discussions of the seminar. Chairman and the Director of the CRI ultimately accepted the fact that the report submitted by them after a 2 day visit to the oil palm plantation in the South without studying rainfall patterns or any other parameter in a scientific manner had been taken serious by the PMCC. They even agreed at a seminar to do a fresh thorough feasibility study of the oil palm plantation taking specially the environmental factors into consideration. But in the newspaper article Dr. Waidyanatha is trying to mislead the public again stating that scientifically too, oil palm is more profitable crop to the South and it does not cause any damage to the environment. It is highly unethical for a scientist to distort a joint policy discussion taken in a public seminar like this to cover up the damages they have done to the environment already by producing a misleading report. Authorities please consult the Secretary Section "B" of the SLAAS in order to get a clear picture of the proceedings that day. DR. H. M. GUNASEKERA-Colombo 10
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