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Its hilarious to note how the UNP is crying from house tops that the
Mahinda Rajapaksa Government is heading for a dictatorship.
The UNP big-wigs are now seeking an alliance with the JVP, TULF and
other motley groups to save democracy. I am writing sir, to recall how
their ignoramus leader gagged the press at a time a free press existed
in this country.
Sitting in Parliament President Junius Richard Jayewardene, years ago
summoned three editors of the national press to the well of the House of
Representatives and threatened them to mind their own business and not
to vilify his Government. If they continue doing so they will have to
face dire consequences.
Delightfully, this reminds me of some lines of James Essley’s
remarkable piece.
Lament in Vienna
“Where love is because of habit
And sex is when it’s safe
Where faith is what old maids
Tell in schilling baths
Wedged in Sunday queues.”
Such was the democracy that the UNP practised at a time the country
was burning in the notorious Black July!
O! tempora O! mores!
WADUGE ELMO DOUGLAS FERNANDO - Kalutara North
The pass percentage in the English language at the GCE O/L exam is in
a deplorable state in most parts of the island. A remarkable increase is
not seen even after doing a number of additional activities in English
to enhance the skill to face the GCE (O/L) exam annually.
From the beginning of the third term teachers and students work hard
preparing for the GCE (O/L) examination. A number of past paper
activities, model paper activities, remedial teaching are conducted in
school during this term. But the pass rate in the English subject at the
GCE (O/L) is at a snail’s pace.
Hence, it is evident that those additional coaching in schools do not
always help enough the weaker students develop their capacity of
understanding the language. Year by year activities are increased but
the pass rate has its own speed.
So it is deemed that students aren’t guided properly to acquire the
knowledge of English competitively in the classes. The lives of the
students are in the hands of the teachers especially in Grade 11.
Therefore, teachers who work right through the year in Grade 11 are
responsible to discern appropriate lessons in addition to the textbooks
when necessary.
It is the time for teachers to prepare a constructive plan towards
the enhancement of the knowledge of English language which helps them
answer any type of questions confidently at the exam. Keep on coaching
students on how to answer the papers while they are lacking in the
English knowledge does not build up their competence.
But a child can face a question when the child is confident of
constructing sentences on its own. So, the skill of understanding the
instructions in English and constructing sentences is needed to the
children prior to exam-based activities. Those additional activities are
ideal to deal with just before a three or four weeks to the exam starts.
It is noted that when students work out a question, they bewilder in
certain questions. Frankly saying “is, are, was, were, has, have, uses
of pronouns, possessive forms, prepositions and passive voice are the
major areas which give confusion. I am sure that certain unsolved
difficulties in English students had at their junior grade are
persisting at their higher grades, too.
The Creative Writing event at the English Language Day Competition is
evident that certain mistakes made by a Grade 9 child is seen in the
Grade 11 child’s paper, too. When such difficulties are identified and
made clear to the students at their junior grades, students will be
geared for an independent improvement in English language.
The following chart may help teachers to measure the levels of the
students and to plan their work. This is the result of a model paper
examination in English language in a school in Sammanthurai zone and the
marks are analyzed with the answers of 100 students. (See table)
The 5th, 6th and 7th category of students are disappointed by 5, 10
and 15 marks respectively. Those three category of students can be
brought at least into the 4th category, ‘S pass’. If teachers work in
the school for five more marks in addition to their usual teaching, the
20 students in the 5th category will pass the exam and the pass
percentage will be 54 percent. Likewise, if the 6th and the 7th category
of students are coached for 10 and 15 more marks than their usual
teaching, another 18 and 16 students in the 6th and the 7th category
will pass the exam.
When those three category of students are included into the
additional coaching at the beginning of the third term, the pass rate
will be at 85 percent. To help the 8th category, special attention is to
be taken at the beginning of the year. A common model paper will be
quite enough to diagnose those categories and classes covering the areas
in which students need competency.
A. Abdeen - Sammanthurai
The above was officially opened to the public by Minister of Highways
and Road Development T. B. Ekanayake on January 23, 2009.
Since of then, the Service Road on the West side of the Fly Over
(adjacent to SLT) has not been completed and construction work is at a
stand still due to the obstruction of one commercial building. Though
provision is available for a second lane of traffic on this service road
to filter into S. de. S. Jayasinghe Mawatha, and proceed towards Colombo
South Hospital. At present it’s only a single lane of traffic that could
use the road creating delay, long lanes of traffic and congestion.
I hope the authorities concerned will expedite reconstruction work
which will ease the traffic congestion.
Gamini Ramanayake - Nugegoda
After the request made through the Daily News of February 21, 2009 to
repair the Aluth Mawatha and the Devananda Mawatha situated in the
middle of the Matara Municipal Council administrative area that were in
very dilapidated conditions, the Devananda Mawatha was tarred and
resurfaced and made suitable for vehicular and other traffic.
We are grateful to the Matara Municipal Council and the relevant
officials for repairing the Devananda Mawatha and the Daily News for
pointing out the condition of the two roads.
But, the Aluth Mawatha, which has a large vehicular traffic flow and
joining a great number of villages with large populations, is still in a
very dilapidated condition and the motorists and pedestrians are forced
to use alternative roads forcing them to face many difficulties. The
residents and the users of Aluth Mawatha, which can be used as an
alternative to the Dharmarathna Mawatha of Uyanwatte, Matara, are
requesting the relevant officials and the Matara Municipal Council to
tar and resurface the Aluth Mawatha as was done to Devananda Mawatha.
Sumith Seneviratne - Matara
Recently there was an article in the newspapers stating that the
Grama Sevaka Niladharis commencing from 1st July 2009, are required to
work on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays (from 8.30 a.m.-11.00
a.m.) and Saturdays (8.30 a.m.-12.30 p.m.) instead of the earlier
practise of working on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays during the
morning hours only.
Apparently, people feel that it is difficult to contact them on these
three days and that often, some of the Grama Sevakas do not turn up
which leaves the people seeking their assistance high and dry.
Therefore, the government feels that they must work additional days to
serve the people in a better manner. The fact that the government has
taken note of the lapses and wishes to rectify shortcomings is highly
commendable.
In fairness to these public servants we need to admit that the vast
majority of Grama Sevakas are performing a tremendous service to the
country and residents coming under their purview and the actions of a
minority of truants or miscreants must and should not vilify the entire
category of ‘Grama Sevaka Niladhari’ (GNs) who are doing a yeomen
service with the barest of facilities given to them by the government
which is in itself unfair.
“To give an inch and expect a yard” of service from them, is unfair
by any standards given the fact that many other categories of public
servants enjoy much more perks but their productivity is far from
satisfactory and hardly anyone dares to point these out.
Let us look at how well the government is looking after their needs
and judge for ourselves whether or not, their performance is
satisfactory before criticizing them.
If we call them ‘gypsies’ we are not far from the truth because they
have no decent place called their ‘office’ where they can establish a
proper working environment which naturally would give them the much
needed incentive to work. Most of them perform their public duties in
village temples (some times 3-4 GNs share the same facility) in the
Dharmasala or similar places which they are expected to call their
‘office’ and they are given a desk and 2 chairs (1 for them to sit and
the other for their visitor to sit on) plus a small cupboard.
The Rs.500 they are given per month as office rent under the current
social set-up; Rs.200 per month as a travelling allowance; Rs.1,000 per
month for procurement of required stationery items is about all they get
from the government which expects these Grama Niladharis to service
families of 500, 1,500, 1,800 or even as much as 2,000 households of the
GN divisions that are demarcated and allocated to them.
As a basic salary they are paid Rs.13,120 per month. They are not
provided with a mode of transport whether it be a simple push bicycle or
motor bike but are expected to cover the areas mentioned above and many
are the times we have seen them trudging along on foot down the in-roads
of villages or towns in the sweltering heat to visit houses to gather
information /data or distribute Householder’s lists.
It is not often that householders even offer a smile to these public
servants when the door bells ring to hand over the said forms!
If the government (all governments past and present) wish to get a
better service from these public servants, would it be possible to
consider providing an independent common office space/building/rented
house with proper water, electricity and a fan (luxury of course!) for
the GNs covering one Pradeshiya Sabha to work and set up their office in
a dignified manner? Sometimes there are 2,3,4 or even 5 GNs who cover
one Pradeshiya Sabha area and it would help if they are housed under one
roof to enable them to discuss common problems within the region.
Hopefully, these office facilities must be independent from political
interference for them to perform their duties impartially to all
households that come under their purview. If this is done, there will
definitely be a difference in the attitudes of these GNs who can lock up
their documents at the end of their duties on the days without having to
cart confidential files to and from their homes, as they are required to
do now.
Under the circumstances mentioned above, can we blame or criticize
these public servants who are in reality, the one category of public
servants who are actually working closest to the householders and
performing a tremendous service? It is the sincere wish of the writer
that the relevant government authorities will think seriously about
providing them a better deal to perform their duties-how much have
authorities taken into consideration the many odds against which they
are expected to perform their duties or we the citizens of this country
thought about their woes? It is high time we did!
Darmitha - Kotte
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