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It is the ardent desire and wish of all parents to admit their young
ones to the schools they like best.
Their preference is always for a popular school, a school that has
built up tradition and recognition. A school that provides the best
facilities for academic and co-curricular activities.
It is for these reputed and recognised educational institutes that
there is an annual rush for admissions to grade one classes.
The competition is indeed stiff and so the parents make every
endeavour to fall in line with admission requirements, expending much
time, money and energy with the hope of admitting their young children.
According to some of the principals of these popular schools, they
receive a large number of applications far outnumbering the available
vacancies.
As a freelance journalist at the now defunct ‘Sun’ and ‘Weekend’
newspapers in the nineties, I had the occasion to telephone some school
heads to find out the number of places available for the 1991 Grade One
admissions.
At that time Royal had 165 vacancies and received 1,200 applications.
Nalanda had 105 vacancies and received 800 applications.
Mahanama received over 450 applications for 175 vacant places while
for the same number of vacancies, Muslim Ladies had received over 400
applications. This was some sixteen years ago. What would be the
situation for next year in these schools and the rest of other
well-known schools?
Let’s consider the criteria for admission to these popular schools.
The following are under area rule: (a) 40 per cent for children of chief
householders living near the school. (b) 25 per cent for children of
past pupils. (c) 25 per cent for brother or sister of children studying
in the school. (d) 9 per cent for children of public servants
transferred to Colombo. (e) 1 per cent for children of security
personnel.
This criteria made way of the parents to indulge in fraudulent
activities and also led to malpractices, irregularities and
discrimination. Now let’s consider this area rule. The chief occupant
living near the school should have been in residence for at least two
years.
This fact has to be proved with documentary evidence. How many
parents produce genuine documents? Most of them produce bogus
credentials to pass the area rule.
There are strong willed parents who give false addresses and support
them with cleverly prepared documents to admit their children to these
prestigious schools. I know personally instances of parents resorting to
false addresses.
A girl living in the suburbs of Colombo gained admission to Visakha
while her brothers gained entry to Ananda. Yet another boy residing in
the outskirts found a place at D. S. Senanayake while his cousin sister
to St. Paul’s Milagiriya.
Walking along Ananda Mawatha a few years ago, I noticed some places
of destination written on the parapet wall of Ananda College reaching
Maharagama, Pannipitiya, Kottawa, Nugegoda, Battaramulla, etc. for the
respective buses to be parked. Similarly, every big school has school
buses plying to far away destinations.
In addition, there are private school vans that daily ply
transporting schoolchildren to their far away homes. If the children of
these schools are really residents in close proximity to schools as
their documents had shown when gaining admission, surely these buses and
vans are not necessary as they can walk home.
Admitting pupils on the basis of their living close to schools, one
feels, is unfair and unjust for the following reasons:
(1) It is difficult to validate the authenticity of documents the
parents produce to support their applications. (2) It is very unfair on
those children living far away from the school.
A school is an institution that belongs to all children. Why have an
area rule, shutting out poor and intelligent children not living close
to the school. Their parents are unable to resort to unfair and illegal
means to gain admission for their children, unlike those who have the
audacity to resort to fraud and deception.
There is yet another drawback in the criteria of area rule which work
against the disadvantaged children. Now consider Royal College and
Thurstan College. These schools are in the vicinity of each other.
Those qualified to enter Thurstan on strong documentary proof are
also eligible to enter Royal or vice versa by reason of close proximity
of both schools. What does this mean? The fortunate children living in
the neighbourhood of these two schools enjoy a fine option of being
eligible to gain admission to two leading prestigious schools.
In other words ‘double chance’, sometimes ‘treble chance’ like the
modern lotteries nowadays. ‘Treble chance’ comes in for assistance when
the children fail to gain admission to the aforementioned two schools,
because there is a third choice, Mahanama which is in close proximity to
Royal and Thurstan.
Further, these schools are found in affluent neighbourhood, and these
fortunate children and also in a position to attend well-known fee
levying private schools or choice of international schools.
There are a couple of schools which provide this good opportunity. To
mention a few, Isipatana and Lumbini in Havelock Town, Visakha and St.
Paul’s in Bambalapitiya, Ananda and Nalanda, Ananda Balika and Gothami
Balika in Maradana, DS and Kannangara and Devi Balika and Yasodara
Balika in Borella.
In stark contrast, majority of parents have to be satisfied with
Hobson’s choice since their neighbourhoods do not boast of such
prestigious schools.
Their children are indeed unfortunate. Look at these areas Dematagoda,
Maligawatte, Kotahena, Grandpass, Mattakkuliya. Almost all of the
schools located here are deprived of many facilities and cannot hold a
candle to the aforementioned popular schools. Children hailing from
middle class, lower-income families, slums and shanties attend these
schools.
It is my contention that area rule works against the deprived
sections who are in the majority. It calls for urgent remedial measures,
so as to give equality of opportunity not only in the matter of
admissions but also in terms of education and facilities which are
denied to children attending these deprived schools.
These schools should be improved, upgraded with all resources and
facilities on par with popular schools. More model primary schools
should be started, well-equipped with facilities for studies and sports.
This solution would obviate the need of parents to hunt for popular
schools, and their resorting to every trick in the bag to hoodwink the
authorities.
M. AZHAR DAWOOD
Beside the hunger, as expressed by A. P. Ratmalana, a pensioner as
myself suffering from heart ailment needs Rs. 570 for five drugs per
week for a month. It comes to Rs.2000 or more.
If I go for a surgery I may need lakhs of rupees, with the aid from
the President’s Fund, which would be more than a lakh. At the age of 79,
I do not think a surgery would help me to live longer.
But I need the drugs to keep me hale and hearty at least from the
sufferings of the illness. There may be so many heart patients like me
among the pensioners. Therefore increase of wages in any form will be
helpful and welcomed.
U. C. H. MOHIDEEN – Gelioya
Patients in the Government hospitals are almost having a horrible
time when they get treatment, their relatives have the worst. The way
that the nurses treating the patients is pathetic. Nurses are care
givers, but I never see any of them doing that. They have learnt to
being crude and make their duty easy rather than getting it done in a
good manner.
What I see in the ward is that they are doing jobs of doctors and
they have left their duty of caring for patients to the attendant.
Rarely see a nurse being the care giver except some of the student
nurses.
This is what I see in our hospitals. I’m not gong to blame all of
them, but most. I know a lot of nurses who do prescribing at their homes
and I know nurses who are not responsible to their patients. These very
nurses are teaching their students how to use stethoscope.
It’s reasonable till they do not cross their limits. These are
serious issues that should be considered by the Health Minister rather
than waiting for a doctor’s mistake. The Health Ministry should impose
clear cut margins of their duties and attendants’ duties.
S. M. S.
I agree wholeheartedly with Richard Fernando (DN Aug. 08). Defenders
of these blatant double standards should be exposed to retain the good
name of Islam.
Also the fact that in this case Rizana would have been excused if
she’d paid blood money exposes another obnoxious standard that the rich
could get away with it. Surely, that cannot be right.
SHAIK ANWAR AHAMATH
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