Letters
View(s):Free Education Vs. Private
If people want to spend on education why agitate against it?
These days many rallies, demonstrations and protests are being carried out by Doctors of the G.M.O.A. and university students saying that ‘free education is being sold.’
I would like to ask one simple question from them. “Is there a single Doctor or an university student who has passed their A/L Examinations solely by attending the classes of a government or private school?
It is a known fact that almost all the student population may it be rural or urban, go to private tuition classes to get through their Year 5, G.C.E. O/L or A/L examinations.
The education sector is a money-making enterprise already. The difference between the government university student and the private undergraduate is that the government student is being paid by the state for studying (Mahapola) but the private student has to pay and study.
Education is free, but people opt to spend for it. So why agitate?
G. Ranatunga
Borella
Let’s have an executive presidency with checks and balances
And so continue the conflicting views–Do we do away with the Executive Presidency or do we retain it? And who decides? The lawmakers of course, a good many of them who haven’t even secured the GCE OL qualification! Doing away with the executive powers of the President would mean that it serves no purpose having a presidential election which would, quite unnecessarily, cost the Exchequer (already reeling with debt burdens) a colossal expenditure.
The President, with his limited role, can be appointed as in India through a suitable procedure. Is this what we want? To my mind the ideal would be to have an Executive President, and to limit his powers, with suitable checks and balances to prevent him acting like a dictator as has happened in the past. This could be done through suitable amendments to the Constitution.
The other question is do we need a new Constitution, when amendments to the present Constitution could adequately deal with any changes we would wish to make. A new Constitution – I shudder to think what the outcome would be, considering the quality of the lawmakers!
L. Wijesinghe
Via email
Earn money from scrap iron to maintain Railway toilets
With reference to the Sunday Times Insight dated February 12, where it is mentioned that the Management of the Railway says they do not have sufficient funds to maintain railway station toilets, I have a few suggestions that might help.
Travelling from Polgahawela to Badulla one will find miles of railway lines removed and left to corrode beside the present railway track.
At the Maradana/Dematagoda Railway yard too I have noticed many carriages left to the vagaries of the weather.
These could be sold as scrap iron and the monies earned could be used to maintain the toilets at Railway stations.
JJH.
Kandana
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