Help! The holidays are back

By Tania Fernando

It's school holiday time once again. The stress of term-tests behind them, children are looking forward to relaxing, having fun and playing games. Yet, the options open for recreation are limited and barely a week passes before parents hear that familiar cry, 'Ammi,I'm bored!!...."

How to keep their children happy, occupied and entertained during the holidays is often a parental headache. For most working mums, time is limited and office commitments do not permit more than a couple of days off to take kids on excursions to the Zoo, the Museum or Millennium Park or trips to see the Perahera, as the case may be.

What then happens is that children spend their time glued to the TV and computer. At the end of the holidays, parents look back with a sigh and reflect that little, if nothing had been done to keep them gainfully occupied or towards improving their knowledge.

"I would like the kids to learn things like art and swimming for a couple of hours a day. At present there seems to be nothing that really caters to young kids-Activities which they would enjoy but perhaps, also, improve their concentration. What I would like to see are some courses for them to broaden their horizons, may be help them discover that they have some hidden talent," said Mrs. Shirani Kapuwatte, a mother of three children aged nine, seven and six.

Ms. Kapuwatte, like many other parents reflected on the changing times and interests.

Unlike their parents in their youth, children now have little patience with the simple joys of making mud pies in the garden. Kids today, she said, don't seem keen on pastimes that absorbed previous generations like scrabble, jigsaw puzzles and board games.

Craft activities that most children enjoy are hardly ever tailor-made to fit holiday times. "Little kids are keen on things like cutting, pasting, drawing etc, but there seems to be no one actually catering to their needs," Mrs. Kapuwatte said.

Some parents are eager to see their children take up sports and outdoor activities during the holidays. Summer camps, where the kids could be on their own for a couple of days and learn to do things while common in most Western countries are unheard of here. These enable children to enjoy fishing, biking etc. and also learn basic skills like setting up tents and cooking. Having to survive outdoors for a few days, helps them become independent.

"My children have so much energy, that I have to find them activities that would keep them busy," said Mrs. Nilika Jayamaha, mother of four, who said she would welcome such opportunities for them to have an enjoyable break.

"At present there is nothing to do. Either we take them for lunch or let them watch TV. I encourage my eldest son who is 15, to get his friends together and play cricket. At least then, they will be tired by the end of the day," she added.

But the present climate in the country, had some parents doubtful about pursuits that would take them away from home. Rohan Weerasooriya, a father of a 14-year-old boy said that he would not want to send his son on camp, unless of course he knew that it was organised by a reputed outfit whom he could trust with regard to his son's safety. "With the things that are happening in schools right now, I would think twice about sending him out," he said.

Another parent Mrs. Chandani Kirinde said that what she wanted was something that would keep her six-year-old son occupied, but would also be motivational. "It does not have to be where he will be studying all the time, maybe some place where he can make some friends, and have some fun, but at the same time do some schoolwork so that he won't forget his studies too," she said.

So much for parental wishes.

What do the kids like? The majority we spoke to seemed to be really tuned into modern technology and said that they like computer games and surfing the web. "I like playing computer games, reading and maybe going somewhere," said 12-year-old Rasangi, who also enjoys music and plays the organ quite frequently.

Christina, 7, said that she liked to play and enjoyed activities like drawing, writing and handicrafts.

15-year-old Shehan said he enjoyed going bowling, playing computer games and checking web sites. "I wish there were places like Disneyworld where we could go to. There are no fun things to do here," he said, echoing the lament of many teenagers.

The opinion varies depending on the age, but what was most common was that they liked computer games.

It seems the time has come when schools and private institutions should look at the possibility of organising more activities, singing, drama, clubs for various board games etc so that those whose interest lie in such areas would be able to spend their time in a useful manner.

While modern technology has certainly helped, it is debatable whether it moulds children into well-rounded people with a range of interests and life skills.

First signs of a rethink on immigration- at last

It may have been the Dover tragedy in which 58 Chinese trying to enter Britain illegally were found dead in a truck. It might well be that Britain realises it needs innovative talents and professionals to make the country economically and socially competitive with most of Europe.

Whatever the reason Britain- or rather the ruling Labour Government- has at long last stirred from its supine slumber. Last week Immigration Minister Barbara Roche said in Paris that it was time to begin a debate on finding ways to meet "legitimate desires to migrate" to Britain.

It was a rather curious phrase to adopt. If it did not raise sufficient eyebrows among thinking people in human rights and immigration circles, it certainly should have.

Who, for heaven sake, will have illegitimate desires to migrate? Some might want to migrate for political reasons, some for economic reasons and still others because they want to be united with family already living in the country to which they wish to migrate.

Whatever the reason it is legitimate from the standpoint of the would-be migrant. His or her desire is legitimate. The method chosen to achieve that end might not be legal or even desirable. But can the legitimacy be denied?

Unfortunately - and successive British governments must accept the responsibility for this - it was the Immigration Ordinance of 1971 and subsequent laws passed by Westminster that withdrew British citizenship or the right to reside in Britain from millions of former colonial subjects. This is what created this issue in the first place.

In my last article I referred to inhabitants of Diego Garcia in the Chagos archipelago, about 1200 miles southwest of Sri Lanka who were taken away from their homeland and dumped in the Seychelles and Mauritius, losing their right to live in the British-owned territory.

The British, similarly, played dirty with the people of Hong Kong, for instance, withdrawing their legitimate right to British citizenship, leaving many minority peoples living in Hong Kong stateless. It was only after much agitation and persistent representations to successive British administrations that most of them were granted the right to enter Britain.

By amending existing laws or introducing others, British governments of the day deprived so many people of the right to live in Britain. Today those who strongly oppose what they call "bogus asylum seekers" because of the perception that Britain is a soft touch seem to have conveniently forgotten that Britain had deprived millions of former colonial subjects of British citizenship which they were entitled to under law until then.

The Conservative Party looking for issues with which to whip up the growing zenophobia in Britain, has found the asylum question a god send. Had the vast majority of asylum seekers entering Britain been white caucasians with whom they have a cultural or religious affinity, the Briton's reaction would have been more tolerant.

But the Rumanian Gypsies and the Kosovan Muslims, besides the Africans, Chinese and Asians, are not close enough to the British, even though they come from Europe, for the average Briton to put out the welcome mat for them.

So all asylum seekers are seen as economic refugees out to make the best of a rather lax asylum policy and even more lax procedures which take months and even years to rule them in or out.

The result is that even the genuine refugee running away from persecution or threats to their lives by governments or other repressive and ruthless groups is met here with increasing suspicion and even revulsion.

The rise in race-related crimes and incidents, especially against blacks and Asians, even by the police, has led commissions of inquiry and responsible ministers to speak about institutionalised racism.

I've met many people here, both Sinhala and Tamil, who are extremely critical of the public attention aroused by asylum seekers from Sri Lanka and the subcontinent. This is not just because they too are called to pay higher taxes to the local councils in areas where asylum seekers are housed. It is also because ethnic minorities become the focus of public attention and racial taunts and slurs by white racist elements become common occurrences.

Apparently the British authorities who are inclined towards the idea of allowing some economic migration are looking at the Canadian scheme which enables professionals and skilled workers to get a permanent resident visa in Canada even if they do not have a job offer from a prospective employer. The Canadian scheme is based on a point system and is considered an improvement on the American Green Card scheme.

Certainly there are benefits to Britain-or for that matter any developed country- in such a scheme. The country of origin of the would-be migrant, which is generally a developing country, spends for the education, health and other social needs of the prospective migrant. Then the richer country-which has not spent a penny on that individual- pays higher wages and takes him in.

While the would-be migrant would naturally jump at such an arrangement, it seems the developing world again finds itself on the poorer side of the bargain.

One also needs to look at the reactions of the people of the country that attacts such professionals with higher wages. With signs of racism already on the increase will the employment of racial minorities from different cultural and religious backgrounds add to the existing tensions?

However welcome such a scheme might be in the thinking of many, would minorities already resident consider it a high price to pay in the long term.

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