• UNP's irresponsibility

• International school education I

• International school education II

• Deprived of CLI facility

• Why change school hours?

UNP's irresponsibility

Faced with desertions after the defeat at the Presidential Election and thereafter at the Local Government Elections (as expected after the Presidential Election loss), the UNP is acting irresponsibly.

Both the UNP and the SLFP have breakaways from various political parties quite a large percentage. UNPers joining the SLFP and SLFPers joining the UNP have been common occurrences. In fact the SLFP originated with those who broke away from the UNP.

The marxist and trotskyite revolutionaries, who entered into United Fronts or coalesced with the UNP or the SLFP, as at today, have given up their revolution and red shirts and are obedient followers of the UNP and SLFP policies, sometimes taking turns.

The Father of the Revolution, himself gave up the revolution and coalesced with the UNP. Members of the LSSP, BLPI and CP followed suit. So will it be in the future.

The UNP's threat, in that context, to withdraw from the All Party Conference if the sandanaya woo the UNP members elected on the UNP ticket, but are unfaithful to the party or not happy with the leader, to join the Government is childish if not irresponsible, especially at this juncture when the country is facing a bloody situation.

Then again, the call for UN forces to the country in the midst of the present crisis, which is an internal affair of the country, is another UNP blunder.

The LTTE has been declared a terrorist organisation, internationally. The LTTE does not want peace unless under its own conditions.

To molly-coddle the LTTE under such circumstances, is not the correct thing to be done. The UNP leader should look to the east and seek the cooperation of our neighbours to solve the issue without looking up to the west as our saviours.

The UNP leader should give up his authoritarian ways, consult the party rank and file in taking decisions on national issues, stop thinking and acting on behalf of the haves only, move with the man in the street and try to understand the sign of the times and cope resolutely with the political, social and economic problems faced, realistically, with a national outlook.

It should be liberal, socialist-democratic and religious. Rigid capitalism should be abandoned.

UPALI S. JAYASEKERA, Colombo 4.

International school education

In addition to the difficulty in school admissions, there is the problem of seats in the Universities. It is not only the children who are educated in International Schools that respond to the advertisements in Foreign Universities.

Only a handful of students enter the universities and the others either has to go abroad or do some foreign examination in Sri Lanka. Many of the parents would prefer to keep their children in Sri Lanka, if there are opportunities for their children to continue the education in Universities in Sri Lanka.

If you compare the number of students who went abroad after studying in International Schools and after studying in normal schools public/ private, I am sure the percentage of the latter is more.

I do not know what the Government is doing to increase the number and courses in Sri Lankan Universities. No one seems to care about increasing the number of seats available in the Universities, and also reorganize the curriculum to suit our needs. This needs to be the 1st priority in the system.

M. Silva, via email.

II

I wish to draw attention to the newspaper article (June 6) titled 'Pyramid scheme with a difference - International school education.'

She has got several facts wrong. International School students are not Stateless individuals. We bear the same national identity that others bear and we have a State called Sri Lanka unlike what she has mentioned.

We are also not brainwashed as she says in fact our brains are totally alright and we do not make baseless allegations as she has done. Not all foreign teachers influence immoral practices through their own immoral lifestyles, even some local teachers do this.

Look at the problems we have in our local universities. is this the way children who have a national identity behave?. Parents send their children to International schools when they are unable to get them into normal schools and also when they do not want their children to suffer in local universities.

There are many Sri Lankans who have studied in International Schools who go abroad and have successfully completed their higher education.

I agree that there are many International Schools that are opening up and there should be some regulation to check the standard and to issue the licence but please do not criticize the entire concept of the International School because they have been serving the country and catering to the needs of a segment of society. I would request her not to make baseless allegations and mislead the public.

Pradeep, via email.

Deprived of CLI facility

The SLT subscribers of Kegalle, whose phone numbers starting with digit 3 or any number other than digit 2 are deprived of using the CLI facility which is an important service.

CLI facility was introduced to Kegalle, more than a decade ago.

The same problem arises in Kegalle not only with CLI but also with some other value added services.

I had to change my old phone number which was starting with digit 2 to the existing number starting with digit 3 to obtain 'SLT plus' service, some 10 years ago.

Can any responsible officer of the SLT explain the reason for this, as technical problems can be ruled out, according to their mega sized media advertisements claiming their very high level of technology.

We also pay the same rental and call charges while others enjoy more facilities even in the same area.

If implemented, most of the subscribers who at present do not have CLI facility will definitely pay the due rental and apply for CLI. This will be an added income for SLT also.

DR. U. P. R. RODRIGO, Kegalle.

Why change school hours?

Now that Sri Lanka has fallen in line with the international time, school time also should fall in the line with international standards. It is 8.00 a.m. the U.K. school time.

The busy working population of Britain do not rush their school children at 7.30 a.m.

It is surprising the way our psychiatrists remain silent when there is a damage done to school children.

The benefit of the time change should go to all classes of citizens including school children, Judges, Lawyers, Doctors, Accountants, Editors irrespective of gender, age or physical built. Let's fix 8.00 a.m. as the time for schools.

D. Senevirathne, Aluthgama.