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I am a head teacher of a high school in England. I have recently
returned from a trip to Sri Lanka where I visited a number of schools
which are working with my school to develop joint curriculum projects.
The joint working between our schools has been underway in a variety
of forms for nearly two years. The programme will bring enormous
benefits to the pupils in both countries. On my recent visit I was
delighted to see the real impact our work has already has on the young
people in some of your less well resourced village schools.
The pupils and the teachers enthusiasm and commitment to this
programme was tremendous; however, there is one enormous frustration
which is currently preventing such collaborative work from really
developing to its full potential.
That is the cost of the Internet access for schools in Sri Lanka. In
England, we have affordable Internet access within school at a
subsidised rate negotiated by the local authority. This gives my pupils
unlimited access to the Internet for educational research, and for
communicating with others.
We are very keen to develop such links for video conferencing between
our pupils and for video messaging.
On my recent trip I was able to present some computer equipment to a
village school which would be a fantastic asset to those children and
their ability to communicate with the rest of the word.
The problem is the prohibitive cost of net access for schools. I
believe the SLT price as quoted in a article in the newspaper is Rs.
3.45 per minute.
I would appeal to the authorities concerning this pricing structure
to lobby for a country-wide subsided school pricing model to cover
remoter village areas as well as Colombo. This would open up the
prospects of more international links with Sri Lankan schools with the
ensuing benefits to all concerned.
The children I met in these village schools were a delight:
courteous, polite and fully aware of the significance of a good
education, not only for their own future prosperity, but also for their
country. Subsidised Internet access in such communities will have an
immeasurable effect on everyone.
At present, we will continue to do all we can use the postal service,
frustrated that we could do so much more to work with your wonderful
young people.
IAN KNIGHT
England
I took my wife to a private hospital at Pattiya Junction, Kelaniya on
the Kandy Road on August 29 at about 12.45 a.m. for treatment.
She had been vomiting several times from 8.00 p.m. onwards on the
29th and was unable to have a bowl evacuation although she had the urge
to do so due to constipation.
After examination, she was given an anema and a drip (saline with
Vitamin ‘B’ and maxilone).
I left the hospital at about 3.45 a.m. after paying Rs. 1,980 for the
treatment. When a medical bill was requested from the doctor with a
breakdown, he said it was a practise to charge a flat amount from
patients without submitting a detailed bill for the treatment.
Finally, when I insisted he told the cashier who took my money to
give a cash receipt from the cash register. The cash receipt neither
indicated the correct amount of money given by me nor for what purpose
it was issued to me.
I hope the officials of the Health Ministry would kindly take the
necessary steps to prevent this peculiar method of charging helpless
patients who seek medical treatment at this institution, and would
kindly remedy the obvious malpractice adopted to swindle the poor
patients.
Subsequently, I came to know from people known to me that they too
have been similar victims of this hospital on earlier occasions when I
discussed this matter with them.
Nihal Range
Kelaniya
I write with reference to the very interesting article by Professor
S. Anthony Norbert (DN August 16).
The contents therein highlights very alarming and interesting facts
witch should be the concern of everyone and every country, because it
calls for collective effort to achieve the desired results.
Prevention is better than cure, hence the world should get together
to protect same, thereby saving ourselves including all other lives and
everything within same. If timely action is not taken, it would be too
late and all would be called upon to bear the adverse consequences that
are disastrous yet remains impossible to be corrected.
Let’s preserve the world, the way it was given to us.
TOMMY WANIGESINGHE
Kurunegala
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