'English for Life Skills' has been a very useful and attractively
designed practical program introduced by the Presidential Secretariat
for teachers of English, to empower them in the noble task of teaching
English in all government schools as well as in Pirivenas .
As a dedicated teacher of English working at a Central College, I am
thankful to Sunimal Fernando, the Co-ordinator and the Competent
Authority who initiated this marvellous language programme to Sri Lankan
teachers, with the guidance and training provided by the Hyderabad
University of India.
I clearly experienced that almost all participants enjoyed learning
many different things in the English medium, while undergoing this novel
programme. Our master teachers and the foreign trained specialist
teacher were all really active, dedicated, enthusiastic and above all,
very friendly in all what they did and practised during the programme.
I am again thankful to the President and the pilot teachers as well
as the master teachers who ran the programme in the Panadura Teacher
Centre very successfully, with the fullest co-operation and
participation of all the teachers of English in the zones and areas.
H.L. Sunil Shantha
A newspaper reported on February 14, 'Market Crashes; EPF plays St.
Valentine'. Right? Wrong. EPF is the Santa Claus for the stock market
throughout the year.
It is very clear that some high network individuals have influence
over those who are managing the EPF funds. It is comical that the
officials managing the EPF funds do not mind being the laughing stock in
the eyes of the public.
Well, there ought to be some reason for these officials to conduct
themselves in this manner. Will the EPF care to disclose to its members
the value of investments in the stock market and the market value of
these investments at present? I do not think that even the minister in
charge is aware of the extent of the massive loss. If the investments
were made wisely why hesitate to disclose the figures? Let the
stakeholders of EPF decide.
The irony of it is some who are responsible for these investments
have never contributed to the EPF.
It was also reported that the EPF would have earned a much higher
income had these funds been invested in Treasury Bills. What right do
these officials have to deprive to what the poor members are rightfully
entitled?
Concerned EPF member
It is the habit of most of our people to criticize work in various
government departments, especially for the delay in performing public
duties.
But now things have changed and most of the staff in public
departments carry out their duties politely and attentively. In the Land
Registry in Galle, the staff is attentive in their duties. The public is
able to get their jobs done more conveniently than ever before, as the
staff there works as a team.
A notice has been prominently displayed in the registry office
indicating how much time one would have to wait to get his job done.
Obtaining a document or registering a deed now takes only very minimal
time unlike in the past, when one needed to go to this office two or
three times. In urgent matters, even the Registrar can be met by the
public. The staff in the Land Registry should be highly commended.
Somasiri P. Liyanage
Very often the CEB gives advance notice of power cuts for certain
periods during the day time. That is alright as long as it has to attend
to essential repairs and break-down work.
However I wish to state the fact that Sunday is the only day in the
week where the entire family is at home. I am a working father and my
wife, a working mother. Sunday is the only day that we can attend to our
many household chores.
Our three children are all given jobs like cleaning their rooms,
attending to the garden, washing their clothes and ironing them for
weekly use, on Sundays.
When electricity cuts take place on such a day we have no chance of
attending to all these domestic needs. Can the Electricity Board please
avoid cutting the supply on a Sunday? After all, there are six more days
in the week that can be utilized.
Ananda de Silva
It was reported in the press recently that the Private Transport
Services Minister is to implement an action plan to minimize road
accidents. This is most welcome. The Minister must also take sufficient
steps to see that the regulations currently in force are strictly
enforced before introducing new ones. Presently it is a must that
tickets be issued, that the crew be clad in their uniforms and also that
beggars and vendors who cause a nuisance inside buses are debarred from
doing so.
Sad to say, in very many cases these are observed in the breach. The
uniforms are sometimes unclean and dirty to look at. At times when a
ticket is requested the stock excuse is that tickets are all over. Often
the correct balances are not given to the commuters. Rude replies are
given when the balance is requested. Teenagers are sometimes employed as
conductors. Sucfficient time is not given for elders and the infirm to
get in or get out of buses. Stopping at unauthorized places is a common
sight.
I have not seen any instance where policemen pay their bus fare. Are
they exempted? They get in from anywhere they please. Bus operators are
required to display the bus number and the fare inside the buses, which
is not done by many. The Minister will earn the plaudits of the
travellers if plain clothesmen are deployed in buses to see that the
rules currently in force are strictly adhered to, before enforcing any
new rules and errant bus crews brough to book to prevent road accidents.
Merril T.M. de Silva
Security guards have been deployed in almost all banks in Sri Lanka
as well as in establishments, such as the Sri Lanka Telecom. Virtually
all of them are employees of private security firms.
While the security guard at the entrance performs the job of a
doorman, another stands inside the bank armed with a shot gun. In some
banks this guard is positioned by the pawning centre and his services
are used in transferring documents to and fro in the absence of a peon.
For this purpose the guard moves through the customers with his weapon,
loaded, in his hand. As a regulation the muzzle of the gun should always
be pointed towards the ground but when the guard moves about the muzzle
could point at any angle if it does not get the entire concentration of
the guard.
Unlike in rifles, shot guns have no safety-catch and the danger lies
that any pressure on the trigger can cause the gun to go off. In the
event the gun was pointing at some innocent customer at the time of
going off, who would be answerable for the disaster that may occur - the
security guard, the bank manager or the security agency ?
If the objective of an armed security guard inside a bank is to deal
with a hold-up or such robbery, he could be positioned at the
entrance/exit with a pistol worn in its holster, which cannot
accidentally go off and as such would be a safer weapon.
Harshi Nadie Perera
The public esplanade and its sports pavilion in Payagala South
maintained by the Beruwala Pradeshiya Sabha has been in a dilapidated
condition for a long-time, due to negligence.
It has not been supplied with electricity or pipe borne water
facilities after the tsunami disaster by the responsible authorities
concerned. Besides, the state of the toilets are terrible and cannot be
used.
The public and many sports clubs have made pleas to the Pradeshiya
Sabha that the pavilion be renovated. All pleas have been ignored upto
now.
Munidasa Kamburawala
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