• Hangman's noose forgotten again

• Protection at railway crossing

• A great village lad

• G.C.E. A/L results and standard of English

• Public education

Hangman's noose forgotten again

Murder goes on unabated in the country while the President has ordered special ropes from abroad soon after the killing of HC Judge Sarath Ambepitiya claiming that she shall approve execution of those who were sentenced by courts of law to death.

H. R. Activists as usual are not sensitive or sympathetic towards those slain or their family members it seems. May be because they also live in safety and luxury with hordes of security as the politicians do.

Again at Gampaha, several state officers on duty were gunned down by an underworld gang according to police reports.

While the clergy and a vast majority of people want to implement death sentence the authorities seem again to have changed decision and become silent on the issue, leaving the public at the mercy of ruthless killers.

It is common sense as long as the State instead of infusing fear element into the psyche of criminals, guarantees that they will be looked after well all provided for a term in a prison cell, nobody would dare to kill another even his own wife and child for no valid reason.

Or else the politicians too should do away with their security and move about freely as other citizens do. Tax payers are not toiling only to provide security to Ministers and maintain them with luxuries.

S. A. ANANDA, Wattala

Protection at railway crossing

Recently we lost another life due to lack of proper protection at a railway crossing in Wadduwa. It was stated that this very location has seen 15 deaths due to an unprotected railway crossing.

As per the statistics of the Railway Department, only 200 railway crossings are protected out of the 900 railway crossings we have in Sri Lanka today.

This only goes to reflect how primitive we are as a nation. This is clear indication of lack of proper infrastructure and the lackadaisical approach towards this situation, demonstrated by the authority to take preventive measures.

How many more deaths do we have to see before we give serious thought to this ever so important problem. It is the bounden duty of the policy makers of the railway department to get cracking on with this problem and look into a viable solution without any further delay.

Sri Lanka primitive and poor as it may be needs no automated guards costing us our valuable foreign exchange. We have a high percentage of unemployment in the rural areas. Utilize this resource on a part-time basis and pay them an allowance.

This, while saving valuable human lives will also save the nation of the valuable foreign exchange and also provide some sort of employment to the unemployed masses. Policy makers, please get on working on this project immediately. Let's stop talking and let's start working for a change and save valuable human lives. If you defer the implementation of this project, we will continue to see more casualties.

UPUL ARUNAJITH, Canada

A great village lad

It was reported in a Sinhala daily paper of 05.09.2005 (Sannasa) that Sunil Jayasekara alias Gamini of Sadamulda, Polduwa Watta in Batapola, a motor mechanic has been able to give birth to a strange invention utilising electricity.

Batapola is a village situated in the Ambalangoda electorate in Galle District. After completing his school education he had been inclined to tread the footsteps of his father to repair motor vehicles and subsequently had followed a course in motor mechanism at the German Technical College, Moratuwa.

It is presumed that this report must have caught the eyes of the Minister-in-Charge of this Department, other Government officials and even the heads of private establishments.

The capability and the perseverance of a village lad should, no doubt, be admired. If he is given a helping hand by the Government or by any private establishment to promote his knowledge, it will be a great boon, benefit and also a pride for Sri Lanka.

DANAPALA PATABENDI, Ambalangoda

G.C.E. A/L results and standard of English

According to a press report appearing in a prominent Sinhala daily paper on September 20, 2005 the Ministry of Education has highlighted that more than 75 per cent of students who sat for the July GCE A/L examination has failed in their English paper.

What does that indicate? That clearly indicates the very poor standard of English knowledge that our schoolchildren have received through their own schools and also through various English tuition classes of this country which are available in every nook and corner like mushrooms.

These results should be an immediate eye-opener to the Ministry of Education itself since it is they who advocate our children to select English medium for higher education in spite of this very poor knowledge of English language of our children.

Before we change the medium of instruction in our schools for some grades, it is the duty of the authorities to ascertain whether there are enough qualified capable teachers to teach English. Even the 25 per cent who passed the English paper, we do not know the gradings they have received. It can be just an ordinary pass.

For medium of instruction of our children nothing like the mother tongue.

D. E. ABEYWEERA, Kelaniya

Public education

I have read your editorial comments on the website with regards to public education and must agree with you on all points.

I am currently in the UK having had the privilege of gaining my education through the Sri Lankan education system which has helped me to still further my education at university.

We have such a high standard in setting the syllabus as well as a high calibre of teachers who are dedicated towards helping all of their students gain the utmost skills through a educational system that is indeed held very highly in most other countries as well.

Privatisation can only bring a class of the privileged few gaining a high standard of education. Although we have International Schools at present, the overall examinations for public and private schools are conducted through Government regulations, thereby giving all of the educational system its high standards.

Ayesha Ibrahim, UK