Archives

Clarion call for accelerated development

Nothing could be timelier than a broad-ranging, accelerated, development drive with mass support and President Kumaratunga has done well to call for a giant project of this nature. This has been the dream of many a government but very little has been done towards its realisation until now.

Perhaps, what has been lacking thus far has been firm leadership, guidance and direction of a project of these proportions and one could be certain that the verve and initiative provided by President Kumaratunga would help fast-track the envisaged development drive now that she has emphasized the great need for zealous commitment to development on the part of all.

Infrastructure development, health, education and self-employment are some of the areas outlined by the President, where the need for accelerated development is keenly felt and we hope work in these areas would get underway on a consensual basis among all concerned.

The broad agreement and support needed for a gigantic development initiative of this kind could only be obtained through a wide-ranging public discussion on its importance and we are glad that the representatives of the State would very soon be fanning out among the people to convince them of the need for top-speed but judicious development.

However, the glowing examples of dedicated, conscientious labour must come from "the top" - that is, the power-wielding, influential layers of society. The political elite of the country, in other words, needs to be inspired and guided by the President and should give of their best to the development drive.

They should lead from the front and be "hard at the job", if the rest of Sri Lanka is to emulate them. They need to ensure, in particular, that they are free of the taint of corruption and self-aggrandizement. Opportunities for embezzlement - it must be realised - would be rife in a situation where massive funding and State expenditure would be prominent.

In this connection we are also happy to note that the President is further extending her concern over the development of the country's human resources for the purpose of national prosperity, to the neglected and deprived sections of our child population. Proof of this is the 'Nena Sarana Rekawaranaya' scholarship scheme for parentless street children, which will be launched today to mark International Literacy Day.

Education and caring for children are subjects which are very close to the President's heart and the scholarship scheme in question testifies eloquently to these commitments.

The scholarship scheme answers a long-felt need because not all segments of our child population benefit from our free education system. The poorest of the poor, for instance, are never in a position to savour its benefits. The 'Nena Sarana Rekawaranaya', therefore, effectively complements the system of free education.

International Literacy Day

Today is International Literacy Day. According to the United Nations, more than 860 million adults around the word cannot read. Sixty per cent of them are women. More girls than boys are not attending school. Moreover, nearly 120 million children aged 6 to 11 do not attend school. They will be illiterate adults in a few years.

The International Literacy Day is significant because it gives educational authorities an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in efforts to combat illiteracy. In fact, the tide of worldwide illiteracy is turning. More than 45 per cent of the world's population could not read 50 years ago; It is 23 per cent today.

Sri Lanka has a better record in this department than most other developing countries, with a literacy rate exceeding 91 per cent. This is exemplary by any standards and only a few developed countries exceed this percentage.

The free education system continued by all governments and compulsory education for all children at least until age 14 were key factors that led to this high literacy rate.

Unlike in many other developing countries, Sri Lankan society does not discriminate against girls when it comes to education.

The latter is part of this year's Literacy Day theme "Gender and Literacy". International development efforts are short-changing girls, leaving hundreds of millions of girls and women uneducated and unable to contribute to positive change for themselves, their children, or their communities, stated the UNICEF State of the World's Children 2004 Report.

Most countries continue to ignore the plight of girls who are left behind in the education race and forced into child labour or sexual slavery. Keeping girls out of school is keeping many countries at the bottom of human development charts.

The UN has repeatedly pointed out that there is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls and women. It is likely to raise economic productivity, lower infant and maternal mortality, improve nutrition and promote health. Literacy offers an opportunity for women to learn more about the world they live in. Literacy for women is not a goal in itself. It is essential for a healthy and prosperous world.

The world's Governments have set themselves an ambitious target to increase literacy rates by 50 per cent by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals. This is a task that requires a Herculean effort by Governments and education authorities.

Internationally, the cost of providing universal primary education has been estimated at US$ 6 billion per year, which is dwarfed by the US$ 800 million military expenditure.

Rich nations must contribute positively to achieve the education goals of developing countries to make the world a better place.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

www.Pathmaconstruction.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager