Investigators raid Kingfisher boss's home in loan probe

A Kingfisher Airlines aircraft is seen parked at the airport in New Delhi May 30, 2013.

 Sat Oct 10, 2015

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) searched liquor baron Vijay Mallya's home and offices on Saturday, in connection with a probe into a loan granted by mid-sized state lender IDBI to his now defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

Saturday's raids are the latest in a string of investigations around the flamboyant Mallya, heir to United Beverages, which makes Kingfisher beer. His business empire previously included India's largest spirits company United Spirits Ltd, but he has since sold most of his shares.

Local media reported the CBI was questioning circumstances around the IDBI loan, worth around 9 billion rupees ($139 million) and granted by the bank despite the airline's negative credit ratings and well publicised financial trouble. Newspapers said the bank's decision violated credit limit norms.

A spokesman for Kingfisher confirmed CBI officials had visited UB Group premises in Bangalore, Goa and Mumbai in connection to the loan probe.

"The company co-operated with the officials and provided the necessary documents and will continue to offer co-operation," the spokesman said in an email. He did not comment further.

CBI officials were not immediately reachable for comment and a spokesperson for IDBI did not respond to an email seeking comment on Saturday.

The CBI's raids are part of a broader effort to investigate bad loans at public sector banks.

Mallya's debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines stopped operations in 2012, but remains involved in multiple investigations.

Last month, India's financial fraud investigating agencysought information from United Spirits in connection with a probe into Kingfisher Airlines over alleged diversion of funds, CNBC TV18 had reported.

The agency was looking into alleged financial irregularities from 2005, when Mallya's UB Group controlled both United Spirits and the airline.

($1 = 64.7698 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Mumbai; Editing by Clara Ferreira Marques and David Evans)

Oct 10, 2015 2:31:56 PM

China’s notorious ‘Ivory Queen’ charged with smuggling in Tanzania

Yang Feng Glan , center, is escorted by police from Kisutu Resident’s Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Pic: AP.

By Asian Correspondent Staff Oct 09, 2015 

A Chinese woman has been charged in a Tanzanian court with smuggling nearly 1.9 tons of ivory – more than 700 elephant tusks worth nearly $2.5 million.

Businesswoman Yang Feng Glan, 66, known as the ‘Ivory Queen, was charged Wednesday before Magistrate Renatus Lutatinisibwa alongside two Tanzanian men in Dar es Salaam.

The three suspects allegedly committed the crime between Jan. 1, 2000 and May 22, 2014. Their case was adjourned to Monday.

NGO Elephant Action League says Yang acted as the essential link between poachers in East Africa and ivory buyers in China.

“She recently disappeared from Tanzania, moving to Uganda, but returned one week ago, when the Task Force swiftly moved and arrested her. After confessing to many of her crimes she has been taken to the high court of Dar es Salaam facing a maximum sentence of 20-30 years imprisonment,” it said in a press release.

“It’s the news that we all have been waiting for, for years”, commented Mr. Andrea Crosta, co-founder of the Elephant Action League and WildLeaks. “Finally, a high profile Chinese trafficker is in jail. Hopefully she can lead us to other major traffickers and corrupt government officials. We must put an end to the time of the untouchables if we want to save the elephant”.

According to the Tanzanian government, 65,721 elephants have died in the country in the last five years, many killed by poachers for their ivory tusks. Tanzania’s elephant population has plummeted from an estimated 109,051 in 2009 to 43,330 in 2014.

Additional reporting from Associated Press

20 SOURCES OF PAIN THAT ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO SPECIFIC EMOTIONAL STATES

September 29, 2015

Pain in the body is one of the most common feelings experienced by everyone. The three manifestations of pain are energy, perception and physical manifestation. Each kind of pain may be linked to a specific emotional state in our mind. This may mean that, no matter our age, we still need to learn many more life lessons in order to avoid pain. Once we incorporate the lesson in our lives, understand and learn it in a way that we can transfer it to other people, the pain will simply disappear.

The body is very clear when it comes to pain. Our experiences manifest directly in our bodies and when we experience emotional stress, our body shows us exactly what the problem is. The only thing we need to do is decode it.

1. Muscle pain can represent a challenging ability to move in our lives. Are you flexible with your experiences at work, home or within yourself? Go with the flow…
2. Headaches limit decision making. We experience migraines when we know what decision to make and we do not make it. Make sure to put some time aside each day to relax. Do something that will relieve that tension.
3. Neck pain is a sign that you may be having trouble forgiving others, or even yourself. If you’re feeling neck pain, think about the things you love about yourself and other people. Consciously work toward forgiveness.
4. Pain in the gums is linked to decisions you don’t take or can’t stand. Define your goals and go for them!
5. Shoulder pain may indicate that you’re carrying an emotional burden. This is where the saying “shouldering a problem” comes from. Focus on some proactive problem solving and distribute some of that burden to the other people in your life.

6. Stomach pain can happen when you haven’t digested, figuratively, something negative. The feeling of not being respected by others can cause a sensation in the stomach.
7. Upper back pain can indicate that you lack emotional support, or that you feel unloved. If you are single, it might be the right time to go out and meet someone.
8. Lower back pain might mean that you worry too much about money or that you lack emotional support. It may be a good time to ask for a raise or consider a financial planner to help you organize your finances a little bit better.
9. Pain in the sacrum and tail bone might mean that you’re sitting on an issue that needs to be addressed. Get to the bottom of it and you will see resolution.
10. Elbow pain is directly related to your resistance to change in your life. If your arms are stiff, it can mean that you are too stiff in your life. It might be time to dare yourself to move things forward or at least relax!
11. Pain in the armsmeans that you’re carrying someone or something as an emotional burden. It may be time to ask yourself why you keep carrying it.
12. Pain in the hands. The hands symbolize our link to other people. If you feel pain in your hands, it may mean that you do not reach out to others very often. Try to make new friends, restore the connection!
13. Pain in the hips is manifested when we’re afraid of moving. Sore hips could indicate a resistance to changing and moving forward. It may also be a sign of being too careful when making decisions. If you have big ideas, it’s time to make a decision. General pain in the hips is related to support. Generally, it is related to an imbalance in how you are relating to life and a feeling of lack of love and support.
14. Pain in the joints indicates an inability to be flexible. Be open to new ways of thinking, new lessons and life experiences.
15. Knee pain symbolizes our relationship to another subject, balanced or aggressive. Knee pain indicates a difficulty accepting things as they are. Pain inside the knee is linked to the community, work, friends; and the outside of the knee is linked to personal problems. Remember: you are human, a mere mortal – don’t allow your ego to dominate your life. You can benefit from volunteering.
16. Toothache means that you are not satisfied with the situation you’re in – and this affects your emotions in everyday life. Remember that experiences can pass more quickly when you’re focused on positive outcomes.
17. Pain in the ankles means that you’re not allowing yourself to be happy. It might be time to become more forgiving towards yourself. Try spicing up your love life.
18. Pain Causing Fatigue is caused by boredom, resistance, and denying what it takes to move forward. Open yourself to that voice that can lead you towards a new experience.
19. Foot pain can be caused by depression. Too much negativity can happen under your feet. Enjoy the small pleasures of life – adopt a pet or find a new hobby. Seek joy.
20. Unexplained pain in various body parts. The cellular structure of the body is constantly renewed and during this process, it is purged of negative energies. This process weakens the immune system and all the systems in the body. So while the body may appear to be in a state of illness, it is more or less in a state of clearing – a state that will soon pass.

Vishwamadu Military Rape Case: These Crimes are Not Committed by the Military Alone – WAN

(A file photo)

08/10/2015
Women’s Action Network (WAN) welcomes yesterday’s (6th October 2015) precedent setting verdict of the Vishwamadu military rape case (case no 1569/12 ) delivered by the Jaffna High Court. We salute the courage of both victims, especially one of them who pursued the case in-spite of physical harm, intimidation, insults and harassment since she registered her complaint on 14 June 2010. Her tenacity in the midst of personal ordeal and structural obstacles placed against her and her family members while she pursued the case needs to be lauded, as it provides hope not only for many other women who have filed cases of sexual abuse against the military but also the scores of women who continue to suffer in silence. It also highlights the structural obstacles that are placed on women when are seeking justice even in a post war context.

Case Details: Women A and B faced several displacements due to the war and have suffered loss of family and property due to the brutal war that ended in 2009. Both women returned from Manik Farm (a Vavunia based mass IDP camp) in June 2010 to their land in Vishwamadu, Killinochchi once the land was ‘cleared’ for resettlement. The women and their children were clearing their land when four soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army visited the site. Realizing that the women were without male family members the military went back to the camp, came back the same night and assaulted the women and children, and subsequently went on to rape A and sexually abuse B. When victim A complained regarding the rape, she was asked by the police to first complain to the military. During her complaint to the military, Victim A was offered money to stay silent about the attack. Victim A refused the money and requested that the complaint be registered and investigated. She was then kept in military custody until the police arrived and accepted the official complaint. On 14 June 2010 at an identification parade held in Killinochchi magistrate court both victims identified the four military men as Corporal Danushka Priyalal Ratnayake, Pathinaratne Bandaranayeke Priyantha Kumara, Pandithagethera Shantha Subasinghe, Delgolelage Dunushka Pushpakumara belonging to the 572 Brigade. On 19th November 2010 the four accused military men were released on bail and the fourth soldier absconded and continued to evade arrest. He was therefore tried and sentenced in absentia.

Yesterday, in a hallmark judgment, the Jaffna High Court sentenced the soldiers each with 20 years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI), and ordered the payment of compensation of Rs. 500,000 and fine of Rs. 25,000 for the gang raped victim. In the case of failure to pay the compensation they will serve two more years of RI. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional year of imprisonment. In the case of sexual assault, the court sentenced the 4 soldiers to a 5-years RI coupled with Rs. 100,000 as compensation and a fine of Rs. 10,000 each. In the event of failure to pay the compensation one more year of RI and an additional year of imprisonment will be imposed if they fail to pay the fine. The judge went on to state that each of the convicted will serve a sentence of 25 years and an additional 5 years if they fail to pay compensation to the victims.

At this point, we also want to highlight yet another case that is to date pending judgment irrespective of the fact former president Chandrika Kumaranatunge appointed a special commission to investigate it; the gang rape of two Tamil mothers on March 19, 2001 in Mannar.

It is not easy for ethnic minority women to stand up against armed men and demand justice but in this gang rape too women did come forward even at the risk of being killed. In the above mentioned Mannar rape case they identified three police officers and nine navy personnel as perpetrators. During the latter part of 2006, the case was taken up at the High Court, Anuradhapura. The Attorney General’s Department decided it would be counterproductive to take up the rape case, and amalgamated the two cases into one and tried it as a torture case. In 2008 the case hearing was stopped on a stay order by the Court of Appeal as one of the victim went missing. The other woman was forced to flee the country due to threats to her safety.

In the past WAN has handled several cases of this nature where women who were raped, tortured and have even been murdered by security personnel. Due to threats against their own personal safety and the safety of their family members, women have refused to file official complaints regarding such accounts of sexual violence and assault. The pressure tactics of the military has exacerbated delays in case proceedings and the harassment of victim women continue unabated thereby preventing the women from seeking justice through the Sri Lankan judicial system. The recently released Investigation On Sri Lanka (IOSL) report by High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al-hussein clearly set outs the structural and systemic manner in which the rape and sexual torture of men and women was conducted by the armed forces and police of Sri Lanka. The recent case in Killinochchi where a mother whose baby accidentally died was detained and sexually tortured by police officers, including the insertion of pole inside her vagina, highlights the systemic nature of sexual torture and violence.

There are many more women like the women in Vishwamadu and Mannar who suffer in silence and bear the scars of such brutal crimes while their violators enjoy amnesty and continue to commit such grave crimes against women. These crimes are not committed by the military alone but also by various government officers, politicians and people in power, reflecting the level of impunity that exists within State apparatuses. In such cases, the police often refuse to file a complaint, refuse to arrest or investigate and ensure that the case is prolonged. Hence, often justice for women is not only delayed and denied but remains blind and insensitive.

We are fully aware of the fact that sexual harassment and assault, torture, mutilation, rape and murder are not mere misfortunes of armed conflict, but strategies that have been used against women for the purposes of keeping minority communities subservient, spreading terror, destabilizing societies and most importantly entrenching patriarchal power. Sexual violence against women cannot end overnight and the government in its human rights action plan and upcoming policies must take progressive steps to create awareness within society while promoting women’s equality and justice for all.

The Sri Lankan government, the Police department and the Attorney Generals department must take immediate action to end the impunity against sexual violence, especially in cases where state officials are the alleged perpetrators.

WAN also wishes to highlight that we do not endorse the death penalty for this crime as has been articulated even by the head of the State. We strongly believe in the right to life and demand that the justice and law enforcement system work in an efficient manner and urge a process of gender sensitization be implemented. We also demand that the sentencing adhere to those set out in the Penal Code, that the Attorney Generals department ensure such cases are dealt within a gender sensitive structure and in a speedy manner. As a network of ethnic minority women who have lost loved ones due to the brutal war, we reiterate the value of life, even of perpetrators.

WAN notes with dismay the insensitive manner in which the media has reported on or dealt with cases of sexual violence against women; for example their reporting regarding the Vishwamadu rape case victim in the aftermath of this verdict. Often the media has refused to print cases that have implicated the Sri Lankan Military or State Actors and in instances where they have, the reporting remains gender insensitive. Rape and sexual violence remain a highly stigmatized form of violence and we ask the media to respect the privacy of the women who have undergone tremendous physical and mental torture and have fought courageously and received justice.

We also call upon the President to set up a special mechanism to ensure all reported cases of sexual torture and sexual violence are investigated swiftly and in gender sensitive manner. Further, we request the prosecution is expedited while an immediate revision in the penal code is undertaken to ensure victims of sexual violence perpetrated by State actors are provided compulsory compensation. Finally, we urge the government to make rape and sexual torture and violence non-bailable offences at least until the non summary proceedings conclude.

Women’s Action Network is a collective of 8 women’s organisations that are working in the north and the east.

Getting Away With Murder

CPJ's 2015 Global Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are slain and the killers go free

Published October 8, 2015

The ambush of a convoy in South Sudan and the hacking deaths of bloggers in Bangladesh this year propelled the two nations onto CPJ's Global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where journalists are murdered and their killers go unpunished. Colombia exited the index as fatal violence against journalists receded further into that country's past.

Getting Away With Murder by Thavam Ratna

Pressuring Sri Lanka for Peace

Sri Lanka has failed to hold accountable human-rights violators from its 26-year civil war.

President Maithripala Sirisena of Sri Lanka addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 30, 

2015. PHOTO: REUTERS

By TAYLOR DIBBERT-Oct. 7, 2015 

Last Thursday, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution that seemed, once again, to promote postwar reconciliation and express a broad international consensus for ensuring those who committed serious human-rights violations during the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war are held accountable. The problem is the resolution’s overly diplomatic and, at times, vague language still leaves Colombo with the leeway to continue disregarding the demand for accountability and justice.

Pressuring Sri Lanka for Peace by Thavam Ratna

Principal findings of OHCHR report 

By Neville Ladduwahetty-October 8, 2015

The fact that the Government did not exploit these internationally accepted provisions to restrict the impact of the OHCHR report, but instead, co-sponsored the resolution on Sri Lanka is to be deeply regretted. Since the findings in the report are not mandatory it may not be too late to reevaluate at least some of the "principal findings" since para. 1115 states that the "findings listed below are analysed primarily within the framework of international human rights law", when in fact all of the findings should be analysed within the framework of international humanitarian law and the rulings of International Tribunals. Furthermore, even the conclusions reached and the recommendations made should be revisited on the basis of International humanitarian law and rulings by International Tribunals.

Principal Findings of OHCHR Report by Thavam Ratna

To Set Out In The Direction Of Redemption

By S. Sivathasan –October 9, 2015

S. Sivathasan

If the Sri Lankan nation is to go forward, the polity needs to take the Tamils into confidence. They have to move together. The Tamils in turn need to act in a manner to inspire hope and reliance among the communities. With neither party taking the initiative, there is not even a glimmer for either. So too for other minorities. This writer has asserted this position consistently since the end of hostilities.

The sheet anchor for unification is economic parity – of opportunity and reward. The whole complement of supportive factors together with capital, training and a contented hinterland of the community will have to obtain for wholesome results to be seen. The spread needs to be equitable.

Lessons to Learn from Germany

Modern Germany provides quite a few lessons for Sri Lanka. The comparison may look odious, but the parallels are very telling. West Germany (WG) and East Germany (EG) were split up in 1945. The compartments were watertight. This arrangement stood till 1989. In the eighties in Sri Lanka, the writ from Colombo did not always reach the extremities in the North East. The situation persisted till 2009. The collapse of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 brought East and West together. In Sri Lanka the Tamil offensive collapsed in May 2009. But have North and South come closer? No. Why?

Germany, described as a geographical expression or a collection of principalities till the Napoleonic wars up to 1812, was welded into a nation in 1971. This nation had 91.5% Germans, 2.4% Turks and five other ethnicities forming 6.1%. In contradistinction, Sri Lanka at independence had 71% majority community and 29% minorities of other ethnicities and different religious persuasions. In a century was there ever an earnest effort to build a national consciousness?

Read More

Landmark Judgment

Landmark Judgment

By Ishara Rathnakara-2015-10-09

Additional Magistrate of Colombo Nishantha Peiris ordered the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) yesterday (8) to inform Court why former President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and former Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission Anusha Pelpita, who had been clearly identified as suspects in the case of misappropriating Rs 600 million from the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Regulatory Commission for a programme where sil clothing had been distributed, had not been produced before a Magistrate.

Landmark Judgment by Thavam Ratna

Rs 3,138 billion estimated govt expenditure for 2016

October 9, 2015

The Appropriation Bill for the Budget - 2016 has been approved by the Cabinet of Ministers and it is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament on October 23 (First reading), the Ministry of Finance said. 

The Budget speech (2nd Reading) will be made by the Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake on November 20 in Parliament where he will announce the measures that have been earmarked to bridge the gap between the revenue and expenditure.

Based on the Medium term Budgetary framework 2016-2018 and policy framework and priorities considered in drafting budget estimates for 2016, the General treasury has conducted budget discussions with the ministries and Provincial Councils. Accordingly, budgetary provisions have been made taking into consideration of the total resource envelop available in the medium term 2016-2018.

The expenditure provisions covered in the Appropriation Bill have been estimated at Rs. 1,941,450 million which consists of Rs. 1,314,971 million for recurrent expenditure and Rs. 626 ,479 million for capital expenditure. 

In addition, provisions have been made under special laws to service public debt and payment of widows and pension along with other welfare measures amounting to Rs. 1,191,903 million. The provision requirement for advance Account Activities is Rs 5,000 million. 

Hence, the total expenditure provision for 2016 without budget proposals to be introduced at the Second reading (November 20th) of the budget is estimated at Rs 3,138,353 million. The revenue at the prevailing rate structure and foreign grants have been estimated to be around Rs. 1,789,230 million. The total borrowing requirement from both foreign and domestic sources will be Rs 1,349,123 million

Lalith, Anusha Rs. 600 million fraud: Magistrate Nishantha Peiris calls for explanation from FCID higher ups !

(Lanka-e-News- 09.Oct.2015, 1.40PM) In the massive fraud of Rs. 600 million in which the main suspects are Lalith Weeratunge ,ex secretary  to the former president Mahinda Rajapakse and pro MaRa stooge Anusha Pelpita , the FCID which arranged a ‘relief package’ to these two crooked criminals who outrageously cheated on public funds , came in for heavy flak from the additional magistrate Nishantha Peiris.

Ther magistrate lamented, the FCID had arrogated to itself powers of the court , whereby it has committed contempt of court, and the attorney general who ought to rectify this has instead kept silent.

The magistrate’s salutary bold and brave attitude which also bore testimony to his integrity  , most welcome by the masses for good governance became manifest when the FCID that is stooping shamelessly to do the sordid biddings of crooks , ciminals and the corrupt like pro MaRa lickspittles and lackeys Lalith Weeratunge and Pelpita for obvious reasons , made a request to court to lift the ban on the foreign travel of these two suspects , and release their passports which were impounded earlier.   

The magistrate belonging to a rare breed of judges of unassailable integrity in present Sri Lanka, pinpointed, under the constitution and public property Act , where the suspect is charged with having committed a fraud in a sum of Rs. 25,000.00 or over ,unless there  is a special reason where  the suspect is suffering from a serious disease ,the suspects should be arrested and produced before the magistrate , and in such instances , the latter has no powers to grant bail, as the  suspects must necessarily be remanded. Instead of this  , these two suspects in this colossal fraud ,  were directly produced by the FCID  in high court and enlarged on bail, the magistrate bemoaned.

The magistrate also rightly  questioned , why were the suspects not produced before the magistrate court? This action of the FCID is tantamount to the police arrogating to itself the judicial powers and also guilty of contempt of court charges, the additional magistrate emphatically asserted. The police while making the request to  release the passports of these two suspects in this colossal fraud abusing public funds had not even produced the suspects before court , and the FCID has not even submitted any document in this connection , the magistrate Nishantha Peiris regretted. 

In the circumstances ,  the magistrate ordered notices to be issued on the FCID to furnish reasons to court before 5 th of November explaining how this glaring violations of the provisions of the constitution and the public property Act came by. Accordingly notices were issued on the OIC of the FCID ,Kollupitiya , DIG and Western province ASP.

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by     (2015-10-09 08:22:51)

Education: Correct it now

The country still in the mindset of teacher centric education whereas other systems are student centric

2015-10-09

Friday Focus by Professor Siri Hettige had a good analysis on our incumbent education system in his Daily Mirror column this Monday, which was ironically the World Teachers Day. I agree with his arguments on the poor quality of education and the urgent need to revise the system if we were to develop the country with quality human resources. 

 

We still boast of our high literacy rate compared to other Asian nations without realising the fact that the high literacy rate means nothing, when it comes to quality of education. 

No dispute, we need a thorough review and total restructuring of the entire system, both schools and universities. I am not an educationist, but have studied at three internationally acclaimed universities and two local ones. It is disheartening to see that our systems are far behind from those mechanisms. 
We have a long way to go, but yet to see any initiative in embarking on that path. As Prof. Hettige correctly pointed out, if we are to develop as a strong nation in this technologically challenged global context, this is a high priority. His case study on the positioning of Sri Lanka on the global IQ level is a classic example to prove this point.

I was fortunate to listen to Dr. Abdul Kalam, when he delivered a lecture on education at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. 

“What is the most important period of a student’s life, when considering his education?” Dr. Kalam asked the audience, where different responses came from different corners of the hall, but nothing satisfied him.  “You are wrong. The most important period of education is the pre-school. That is the place where child’s entire future and personality is being molded. Therefore, if we need a strong, skillful generation, we must concentrate and strengthen our pre- school education,” stressed Dr. Kalam. Then he elaborated the qualities of a pre-school teacher.

Needless to say that pre-schools are the least important segment within our systems. No regulation, no quality assurance and no vibrant system to produce good pre-school teachers. Thus, according to Dr. Kalam’s argument, could we expect a strong, skillful generation? When we talk about the quality of education, the standards of the teachers is of paramount importance. Ask any parent, they may have plenty of stories to say about the quality of our present day teachers – and the situations in Colombo leading schools are the worst. The same set of words that we use to criticize the governments – such as corruption, nepotism, arrogance – could be easily used on them as well.

If the teachers, too, get the label of corruption – what could be future of our society? There were teachers who demanded valuable gifts from their students to mark the Teachers’ Day. “Please don’t bring flowers, ha? Those are of no use. There are better gifts,” a teacher was quoted as saying by one of my friends, who had to look for a valuable gift for the teacher of his daughter. 

In some instances the teacher would indirectly indicate the preferred gift at the end of the year and these choices could range from refrigerators, televisions, computers to expensive mobile phones.

Of course, favouritism and nepotism go along with those, who provide special treatment to the teacher. 

“It is not the best talented student but the student who provides the best gift will get the priority,” claimed the parent.

To my mind, the events like Teachers’ Days should be well utilised, not to bribe the teachers, but to conduct a thorough monitoring and evaluation process, or at least to make some effort to change their perceptions and attitudes. Another friend of mine who returned from abroad to settle down in Sri Lanka got his son enrolled to a leading Colombo school and happily participated in the first parents meeting, which was addressed by the high profile Principal of the College. 
“I was expecting him to elaborate the education system of the school, the norms and practices for the students and some advice for the parents – nothing of that sort. His entire speech was about a new building project of the college and how parents could help it. It was all about money, nothing about the children and their upbringing. It appeared that he was not bothered about the children, but the buildings and money,” the parent lamented.

In fact, the entire agenda of this particular Principal was on how to get a member of the former ruling family to the next College function and be close to the “Royal Family.”

There could be plenty of such examples from all over the country that would depict the appalling status of the attitude and perception of teachers. 
To my mind the error is not with the individuals but with the system. We are still in the same conservative mindset of teacher centric education system whereas in other developed nations, the systems become student centric. We need a total paradigm change in our education system, mainly with the teachers.

The entire system has become extensively corrupt at all levels. Can you get a child entered into a leading school without bribing the Principal and others around him? 

How much one has to spend to doctor the necessary documents? How far do you have to lie as a parent, and most importantly how far you have to teach the kid to lie at the interviews? When you take it as a whole, is it a fair play? After all with all these efforts, aren’t we entering our kids into a highly corrupt and highly manipulated education system? Is this what that is expected by the concept of free education?

The present situation becomes more alarming when we think of the calibre of teachers we had during the good old days, who carefully crafted our lives with utmost dedication and commitment. Not only did they provide text book education, but they brought up human beings, they shaped our lives with no commercial or other expectations. With all due respect, teachers of such calibre still do exist but they are a minority-at least in Colombo and other leading schools, as per my judgment – maybe I am wrong.

The university system is no different. Except for a few dedicated dons, do we see the expected academic output from our universities? The quantity has improved, not the quality.

Education is an exceptionally vital sector for the future of the country and it needs a total revamp at all levels. Teachers are the live-wire of this mechanism. In this highly techno-savvy society, kids are far ahead of teachers and their parents. Therefore, the education system, too, needs to catch up with this rapid development and update itself according to the technological expansion. In some developed systems, Tabs/iPads or a smart phone has become a necessary item in the children’s school bag.

In a nutshell, as commented by Prof. Hettige, the content of the education needs to be revisited and revised as an urgent need. Add to that, is a total change in the entire education system and its practitioners require a paradigm shift too. Only corrupt practitioners could survive in the present game, as I see it.
Most importantly, a change of perception and attitude among teachers is a cardinal necessity. The smart student will soon outsmart by questioning and challenging the teacher in the classroom. Thus, the teacher needs to be prepared and smarter than this highly techno-savvy student.