Letters to the Editor
View(s):2 lessons on facing national exams from Sri Lanka and South Korea
GCE (O/L) and (A/L) students who face these competitive exams undergo a lot of physical as well as psychological hardships. Even parents and siblings are stressed out.
This month, approximately 688,573 candidates are qualified to sit the examination. Accordingly 429,493 school candidates and 259,080 private candidates would sit the examination this year, under both the old and new syllabuses at 5116 centres countrywide.
A section of society who are most concerned about making the students pass the examinations with colours are the tuition masters. Their underlying agenda is to earn more money within the shortest period of time. They even resort to underhand practices to obtain the question papers or know the questions beforehand by bribing the staff of the Department.
These tuition ‘boutiques’ have mushroomed throughout the country and now the tuition masters have become big businessmen. The Ministry or civil societies and intellectuals in society should supervise and control them.
Parents, elder siblings and teachers of the GCE (O/L) and (A/L) students should ensure their children and younger siblings do not resort to unethical practices to pass the exam with good marks. They should self-study or select genuine tutors to improve their weak subjects. Greater commitment and sacrifices are necessary to pass national examinations which will help them to enter universities and other professional bodies for higher education.
We must learn from South Korea when it comes to national examinations. The support to education from the authorities is immense.
State buses are kept as standby to take the students to Examination Centres while extra-ordinary measures are taken to ensure nothing disturbs the students. All take-offs and landing at South Korean Airports are suspended for 35 minutes to coincide with an English Listening test, and all planes in the air must maintain an altitude higher than 3000 metres (10,000 ft). 98 flights including 36 international flights are rescheduled for the duration of this exam.
Public offices, major businesses and the stock market open an hour later than usual to help ease traffic and ensure students arrive on time for the exam.
Students who are stuck in traffic can get Police cars and motor bikes to rush them to exam centres.
Outside test centres in Seoul, junior students wave banners and shout words of encouragement as candidates enter the examinations centres.
I urge the present Minister of Education and Higher Education and all others involved in the education sector to prioritise national examinations and extend support to the student population.
A. W. Abdulkany Panadura
Hit by Cyclone Ockhi: How did Met Dept miss vital weather information?
A fallen billboard. Pic by Amila Gamage
Most international weather sites warned of downpours in Sri Lanka and South India this week. Some said it may lead to flooding.“Accuweather.com” gave the warning titled “downpours return” on November 23, saying rains will come to Sri Lanka and South India the following week. In fact “Weather-forecast.com” showed the expected path day by day of a depression. It currently shows another smaller depression east of Jaffna which is expected to move towards Chennai and disappear by December 5.
By Monday November 27 there were many messages and emails about an impending storm and floods this week. However, on Tuesday, local news reports quoted the Department of Meteorology saying that these foreign forecasts cannot be substantiated with the data available to the Department. People accepted that and relaxed.
The deep depression intensified into a cyclone named Ockhi and there was heavy rain and strong winds, and people were caught by surprise. Now there is more “fake news” spreading, because the Met Department has a credibility gap.Now more people will rely on foreign weather sites.
Our Met Department is doing its best. It must be further strengthened with the equipment and personnel they need. It must be guided to have a working website which people can easily access. A ten day forecast is essential. I often speak to a very efficient lady in the Department who has substantially educated me on weather patterns and provides me information whenever I seek. They have the expertise and knowledge. It is better if such useful information is on their new website, and educates people on the weather probably using more illustrations. Their old website was old style but far easier to access.
Sunil G. Wijesinha Colombo 5
Memories of once upon a time
Dr Gamini Buthpitiya, a retired Head of the Dept. of Surgery of the University of Peradeniya delivered the Dr Noel and Nora Bartholomeusz Memorial Oration last weekend at the College of Surgeons. He kept the audience enrapt, extolling the virtues of this legendary surgeon of Lanka in his own typically lucid style with mesmerising diction. It was an oration that befitted the occasion and touched the nuance of this quiet but determined surgical personality that was Dr Bartholomeusz. We were proud of being Lankans.
It led me to realise now, the extraordinary opportunity I have had learning the craft in this exalted milieu. The learning experience was enhanced by the enormous patient turnover in our hospitals. The teachers were role models. Impeccable academic credentials combined with pleasant bedside manners gave us what was not mentioned in texts. We learnt from them to do what is right, how to be a good doctor able to walk anywhere in the world.
The Peradeniya Medical Faculty was in many ways unique. The staff were close to the students in those early years. I fondly recall the innumerable quixotic arguments on various subjects from political theory to philosophy. Being brought down to earth by the pragmatism of that giant pharmacologist and multi-faceted personality that was Professor Senaka Bibile. Pleasant musical memories a la Professor Valentine Basnayaka, the Physiologist combining with Nirmalini Barr Kumarakulasinghe, the wife of the Professor of Surgery tinkling on the ivories with vocals supplied by the Tenor, Dr Mark Amerasinghe. The piano was in the physiology laboratory!
Many tales, many memories, a world class training what more does one need? I am eternally beholden to the Medical Faculty and the training. Looking back now it seems, we grew up in an era unmatched for beauty and idealism; Peradeniya in its heyday.
Dr. Channa Ratnatunga Kandy