Features

Victor Melder turns 90: Railwayman and bibliophile extraordinary

Published

8 months ago

2026/02/22

The Melder clan in Australia

Victor Melder is a household name in Melbourne. He is one of the best known Srilankans living in Australia. This came about because of the unique library that he has accumulated over many years with a combination of perseverance, determination and self-sacrifice. The Victor Melder Srilankan Library, (VMSL) is unique and has been of great service to Australians, SriLankans and many in different parts of the world. It is used by researchers pursuing a master’s degree or a doctorate, by other writers to various magazines, newspapers and websites, judging by the various accolades that the library has received over the years.

Another area it has been used is in genealogy. It has been a boon for those looking up their family tree. The eminent genealogist, Kyle Joustra acknowledges the data he has gathered from the VMSL. International writers on such topics as Cricket, Tea, Coffee, Plantations in general have drawn from this fount of knowledge. It has a full set of the journals of the Dutch Burger Union among the various rare publications

The number of what it holds has grown to about 7,000 books, magazines and journals. Thus, it records not only historical material, but of the passing scene. The ephemera that form part of the social scene are preserved for posterity. The contents have been painstakingly catalogued by Victor. The service is provided free of charge. This is in keeping with the spirit of service that characterizes Victor.

The son of an engine driver of the Ceylon Government Railway (CGR), Victor followed his father into the profession and drove steam locomotives (later diesel engines) until he resigned in 1968 to join the rest of his large family in Australia. What follows he recounts chapters of a fascination life in the CGR nd in Australia where he built his valuable library freely available to researchers and others interested.

Late last year, the Sri Lankan community in Melbourne entertained two special people who turned ninety. The event was graced by the Consul General for Sri Lanka in Melbourne and many distinguished personalities. The nonagenarians both had a love of books. Victor Melder is a household name in Melbourne, well known for the Victor Melder Sri Lankan Library and Hugh Karunanayake, a man of letters with encyclopedic knowledge of men and matters.

Victor Melder wedding

This article is about the former. Many articles have appeared in the press and digital media about Victor and his many achievements over a long period of time. The present focus is on Victor Melder, the man. There are multiple aspects to his personality. His background, His love of family, his passion for books, endearing interest in the Ceylon Railway, and his deep faith in the Catholic church. Underlying all this is the spirit of service, which is evident in whatever he has done.

Victor was born in Kandy, on September 16, 1935 to a Railway family. Father Randolph was an engine driver and grandfather too worked for the railway, His mother was born in Bangkok, Siam. His maternal grandparents met while working in Bangkok. In 1909, they had responded to an advertisement for young people to work in Bangkok. Grandfather worked for the Royal Siamese Railway as store man and his grandmother taught needlework at the King’s palace. After their marriage and the birth of three children they returned to Ceylon in 1919.

Victor Melder at Galle in 1967 when he quit the CGR

Victor was the eldest of 11 children. His father was a strict disciplinarian. Life was routine with school and back, working in the garden with dad who excelled in gardening and had a collection of rare plants. Due to his father working in a transferable service, Victor spent his childhood in Kandy, Matale, Nanu Oya, Kadugannawa, Bandarawela, and Nawalapitiya. This explains his wide knowledge of the hill country. In between he spent time with his maternal grandparents who had a six-acre property at Peradeniya. Mother was a “tower of strength” and one look from her was sufficient to convey that “all was well”. Father was a man of strong principle and immense faith in God.

Let me quote Victor in his own words about his life in the Railways.

“When Dad was transferred to Kadugannawa, I was almost 18 years of age, and began to be treated as an adult, there was no pressure to work in the garden, and for the first time sat with him on equal terms as any adult father and son would do. The following year I began working at the Kandy Municipality as a clerical officer, which I continued until joining the railways as an apprentice engine driver.

I joined the CGR in October 1956 and was appointed engine driver in October 1962. The apprenticeship, though tough and strenuous, was something I enjoyed the most. As an apprentice, we had to serve nine months at Nawalapitiya, performing what was termed “Upper Section Firing”, (working the Garratt locomotives). Dad was stationed there then. Whilst working with him on a few occasions, I had the opportunity to learn much, as he excelled in putting the theoretical side into practice by demonstrating how to perform running repairs and other day-to-day requirements on a working locomotive.

My crowning moment was, when one day working as an engine driver, I was able to salute my father from ‘my’ locomotive, and he saluted me back from ‘his’ locomotive. I feel he felt quite proud that day of himself as I was of myself. My working on the railways brought me much close to my father, we would sit for hours discussing and swapping yarns about everything railway whenever we met.”

The following excerpt from Victors, writing on Oh to be an engine driver highlights the rigorous training that engine drivers underwent before they received the Indenture from the Government.

“Once upon a time, when steam was King, it was every young boy’s dream to become a steam locomotive driver. Mine was no different, it was heightened by the fact that my father was an engine driver too. Unfortunately, with dieselization and the disappearance of the steam loco, this dream has now vanished for most young boys.

“My grandfather, Victor Melder, was a Guard on the Ceylon Government Railway and served from 1897 to 1926, when he passed away prematurely of a heart attack. My father, Randolph Melder, served the railways as an Engine Driver from 1923 to 1963.

“It was a colonial tradition that sons of employees in many services were given preference to employment in the field of their father’s occupation. This was also true with the railways, where sons of railway men had preference. It was argued that with their father being a railway man they would be aware of the vagaries of the job and therefore be more suited to it.

“I had to wait until 1956 before I realized my dream but was able to get in by about three months, as the cutoff point was 21 years and had the recruitment program been initiated three months later, I would have missed out on the age criteria.

“The recruitment notice specified the candidates should have passed the Senior School Certificate, (English) its equivalent or higher, but for sons of past or present employees of the Ceylon Government Railway (CGR) the Junior School Certificate (English) or higher. Railway Firemen with adequate experience, Seventh Standard (English) or higher.

“Other criteria were that applicants must be of good physique, height not less than five feet five inches (without shoes or socks) and chest measurement not less than 33 inches (normal). Appointment was subject to a medical examination and eyesight test.

“Selected applicants would be on probation for three months. Provided their work and conduct during this period are satisfactory, they will be retained in service and indentured for five years apprenticeship. Written tests will be held at the end of eight months training and again at the end of the second year of training to assess the suitability of the trainees.

“During the period of apprenticeship, they must attend instruction classes and perform whatever duties may be detailed. They are subject to the authority of the drivers whom they are booked to work with.

“Rate of Pay of the apprentices were:

First year Rs 2.20 per day

Second year Rs 2.60 per day

Third year Rs 3.00 per day

Fourth year Rs 3.40 per day

Fifth year Rs 3.80 per day

“On completion of training, apprentices will be required to pass a theoretical and practical test to prove their suitability for appointment to the grade of Engine Driver, Class III, to fill any existing vacancies. Those who fail the test will be re-examined at the end of another year. Failure in the second test will tender an apprentice liable for discontinuation.

“Applications for apprenticeships closed on June 21, 1956. I was interviewed by a panel of three (which included Mr Maxwell Sparkes, C.C.S, who was seconded for Railway service) on September 18, 1956 at the General Managers Office, C.G.R., Colombo. A fortnight later I was informed by post that my application and interview had been successful and that I reported for duty at 9.00 am on October 16,1956.

“As I lived at Nawalapitiya at the time of application, I had to attend a medical examination and eyesight test at the Kandy General Hospital, prior to taking up duties. This was successful. And so began an arduous and rigorous training schedule, which in my case was extended by eight months, since I was eight months off work, having contracted Infective Hepatitis in 1958, after drinking contaminated water off a steam locomotive tender. The department was kind enough to allow me to do three months’ light duty (off the footplate) giving me time to recover further.

“There were 50 apprentices recruited and we were given the title Special Apprentice Driver (SAD), we were numbered from 51 to 100 (don’t ask me why), and my official position was SAD 63. The title Special Apprentice was because we were being trained on both steam and diesel locomotives. A normal steam apprenticeship was of four years duration, in our case an extra year was tagged on for diesel locomotives.

“Of the 50 apprentices appointed, one was a complete outsider, 22 were sons of railway men and 27 were firemen promoted from the ranks. Before appointment as Engine Driver, one went Absent Without Leave (AWOL), two (from the ranks) were demoted for falsifying education certificates and one failed the eye test, whilst three immigrated to UK and Australia, leaving only the balance 44 to pass out as engine drivers.

“The first three months were quite a novelty indeed, working in the sprawling Dematagoda Running Shed, acquainting ourselves with the various steam locos in service. The daily grind consisted mainly in cleaning the boilers and tenders of the locos and also checking the under carriages of the bogie tables by working in the pits, as this was the only way to access them. It was a mundane 7.00 am to 4.00pm job, with an hour off for lunch from 11.00 to 12 noon. We worked a five-day week, plus half day Saturday. All the apprentices were deemed fit to carry on their training and had to sign the indenture papers.

“THE PITS were dangerous places to work in, they were about four to five feet deep, had a few inches of water running through them constantly and plenty of oil that had drained off the locos, whilst being serviced so one had to step very gingerly. As these were locos that were in steam, one had to be wary of falling embers. The bogie tables generally had ash and other grit that had to be scraped off and oiled. Occasionally one would find pieces of putrefying flesh from animals hit by the locos whilst ON THE RUN.

“The next three months was working with an assigned fitter on the various locos, carrying minor repairs, again this was a day job, with Sunday’s off. The following three months were indeed an eye opener as we were assigned as fireman on the steam shunting locos working round the clock, seven days a week at both Maligawatte Yard and Colombo Goods Yard (between Maradana and Fort Stations).

“The shunting locos at Maligawatte Yard worked in the carriage stabling yard, where passenger trains were formed and got ready for service. Colombo yard was mainly a goods or freight wagon yard again where goods trains left from and also arrived from the outstations. As such there was an inwards yard and an outwards yard. There was constant movement in these yards both day and night. It was interesting firing these shunting locos, where the pace of movement was slow and easy, preparing one for the hectic pace on the footplate for the passenger services.

“The next three months, saw us once again in the Dematagoda Running Shed working with the fitters on heavy and large repairs. This section of the work was with locos that were out of service, unlike the second three months, which were mainly running repairs. This was again a mundane job of five and a half days. All of sudden the first year had come to an end, combined with the practical work, the lectures and demonstrations, one had by now a working knowledge of steam locos and was trained to carry out minor repairs, so much so, as to be able to nurse a disabled loco home, rather than seek assistance en route.

“At the start of the second year, saw work on the footplate of passenger trains begin. The first four months was in the role of the second fireman on the open line. The duties were mainly to ensure the head fireman had an adequate supply of coal readily available on hand for firing whilst on the run (all coal had to be broken down to the size of one’s fist for easy firing and ignition).

“The duties also included assisting in watering the locos at watering points enroute and checking when possible that the lubrication points (outside the loco) were in order and topping up with lubricants when and where necessary. One was also expected to keep a sharp lookout whilst on the run, which included the position of signals etc.

“The next four months saw us graduating to the role of head fireman. In the case of the lower steam link, this was a one fireman position, for short distance trains. The duties were combined roles of both head fireman and second fireman. The next four months, saw us in the role of head fireman on long distance trains, with an allocated second fireman. This was a responsible task, always maintaining a steady head of steam and water, and maintaining a presentable footplate. Another year had gone by.

“The beginning of the third year saw us firing on the long-distance trains and fast good trains, which seemed to always run at night. One had an assigned Engine Driver to work under and an assigned second fireman, which resulted in teamwork, to ensure the trains arrived at their destinations on time. A head fireman and second fireman, come on duty at least an hour before the driver did. By the time the driver comes on duty, the loco would have its boiler cleaned or brushed down, watered and ready for take-off, with a full head of steam. The driver would carry out a cursory inspection of the loco and be ready to whistle at the appointed time.

“FIRING TRAINS on both Upper and Lower sections, were different to each other. In the Colombo area, where the railway did not encounter much hilly terrain, one had to fire infrequently compared to the constant climbing which required frequent firing of the loco to maintain a steady head of steam and water. On the lower section, express trains were much easier to fire, than stop and start trains, as they did not need that much firing.

“On the Upper section, due to the frequency of the firing that took place, the firebox tends to fill up quickly and halfway up the incline, one would have to clean out the excess ashes from the fire box, by rocking the firebox grate to drop the ashes off. This was necessary to ensure good ignition and to maintain a bright fire, required for steaming qualities. It was very strenuous and demanding WORK.

“The next four months, saw the 50 apprentices temporarily stationed at Nawalapitiya, for upper section service. This was where the Beyer Peacock Garrat locos were in service. Mercifully they had been modified from coal burners to oil burners and only required one fireman, as there was no stoking of the firebox, but a regulator lever operated to control the flow of furnace oil that fired the loco. What looked like a laborious task was quite simple indeed, if one maintained a steady head of steam for the journey.”

(To be continued)

by Dr. Srilal Fernando

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Features

Coercive laws recipe for future misrule

Published

5 hours ago

2026/10/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

by Jehan Perera

The NPP government is going after powerful figures from the past and present who have engaged in corruption, fraud and criminal activity in a way that no previous government in Sri Lanka has done. Former ministers, politicians and senior state officials are among those facing investigations and legal proceedings. The government has placed before Parliament a document listing 50 cases involving corruption, fraud and other crimes. These include not only financial offences but also cases relating to the Easter Sunday attacks, the killings of Lasantha Wickrematunge and Wasim Thajudeen, the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneligoda and attacks on journalists Keith Noyahr and Upali Tennakoon.

The significance of this effort is that it can demonstrate that nobody is above the law, regardless of political connections or social standing, which will help restore public confidence in institutions that have long been distrusted. It could also recover public resources, improve the investment climate and strengthen the foundations for a more prosperous and just Sri Lanka. When criticised for focusing on the past and not the present, the government position is that these investigations were initiated under earlier governments, particularly between 2015 and 2019, and that it is now allowing investigators to proceed to deal with the backlog without political interference.

But there is an aspect of the government’s approach that is less justifiable. While pursuing past wrongdoing by powerful individuals, it is also advancing a triumvirate of draft laws that could give the state sweeping powers over citizens, organisations and dissent in the present and future. The draft Prevention of Terrorism legislation, the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill and the NGO Registration and Supervision Bill raise serious questions about the over-centralisation of power. Each of these laws strengthens the powers of the state while weakening the rights and safeguards that protect people from their misuse and thus questions the basic rights of people in democracy where ‘the power of the people is vested in the government’. This is a recipe for future misrule rather than the rule of law. As the well-known saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Proposed Laws

The real test of system change, for which the government obtained an overwhelming mandate, requires not only a government willing to hold others accountable, but one prepared to subject itself to the same principles of legality, transparency and restraint. The three proposed laws that are particularly important in this regard are the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill, the Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill and the NGO Registration and Supervision Bill. Each of these draft laws has been presented as serving a legitimate purpose. Preventing terrorism, combating organised crime and ensuring that NGOs do not facilitate money laundering or terrorist financing are proper responsibilities of the state. Sri Lanka has international obligations in these areas, and no responsible government can disregard them. However, the existence of a legitimate objective does not justify every means adopted to achieve it.

The proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill illustrates the problem. Although its definition of terrorism draws on a model developed by a former United Nations Special Rapporteur, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has warned that the definition of terrorism extends beyond the model and could bring legitimate political protest, trade union action and civil disobedience within the scope of counter-terrorism legislation. Its concerns also include prolonged detention, inadequate judicial oversight and restrictions on access to legal counsel. These are objections that go to the heart of the relationship between the citizen and the state. The government cannot credibly promise to protect democratic freedoms while creating powers that could be used to restrict them. It is necessary for the government to reassess the draft through transparent consultation and revise provisions that could criminalise legitimate dissent.

The Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill raises similar concerns. It is presented as giving effect to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, which Sri Lanka ratified in 2006. The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has argued that the convention does not require many of the bill’s provisions. The proposed law extends to a broad range of offences, permits detention orders lasting up to a year, makes confessions to police admissible for purposes of legal evidence, and introduces extensive surveillance powers. A law intended to dismantle criminal networks should not create a parallel system of exceptional powers that could be applied far beyond organised crime. Nor should safeguards developed through years of experience with abuses under the Prevention of Terrorism Act be weakened through legislation bearing a different name. The government should review whether or not existing laws could be used effectively to control these crimes or whether each exceptional power is necessary.

Civil Society

The proposed NGO Registration and Supervision Bill presents another test of the government’s intentions. The government may reasonably seek transparency in the finances of organisations receiving public or foreign funds, including measures to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. It seeks to justify its overreach on the grounds of meeting the internationally mandated requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the Asia-Pacific region. But these objectives do not justify placing civil society and NGOs under excessive administrative control when even the FATF ranks them as low to medium risks. The draft bill would require registration and renewal, impose extensive obligations on organisations and empower authorities to suspend or deregister them on broadly framed grounds. It is important to redraft provisions that confer excessive discretion over registration, renewal, suspension and deregistration of NGOs.

Among the concerns raised by United Nations human rights special rapporteurs with regard to the draft NGO law are provisions requiring organisations to align with government policies and restrictions that could affect advocacy, dissent and freedom of association. The implications extend well beyond organisations that engage directly with the government. Community groups, human rights organisations, independent researchers and organisations working on reconciliation or accountability could find their activities constrained by uncertainty over how these provisions might be interpreted. Organisations that criticise government policies are not thereby working against the country. Their freedom to do so is part of what distinguishes a democracy from a system in which the government determines which opinions and activities are acceptable.

The government has generated considerable public goodwill through its pursuit of corruption and criminality. It should not assume that this goodwill gives it an unlimited mandate to strengthen the coercive powers of the state. The NPP knows from its own history that governments can treat dissent as a threat and use the machinery of the state against their opponents. There is still time to correct the drafts through transparent public consultation, narrow definitions of offences, meaningful judicial control over detention and surveillance, and effective remedies against arbitrary decisions. A government that pursues corruption while weakening safeguards against state abuse risks undermining its own achievements. Besides bringing to light the abuse of power by previous governments, the NPP government needs to build a system in which no future government can abuse power in the belief they can get away with it.

Features

Quality assurance without quality enhancement: The irony of university QA

Published

5 hours ago

2026/10/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

By Ramya Kumar

According to the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) of the University Grants Commission (UGC), quality assurance (QA) refers to “the means (i.e. the policies, attitudes, actions, procedures, etc.), by which an institution can guarantee with confidence and certainty, that the standards and quality of its educational provision are being maintained and enhanced”.

An expansive structure has been in place since 2005 to govern and implement QA processes within the state university system. The QAC is the focal point at the UGC that implements external reviews of state universities and institutes. Each university has its own Centre for Quality Assurance (CQA) tasked with performing QA in line with QAC directives. Faculties, in turn, have Internal Quality Assurance Cells (IQAC) performing their own QA; they are answerable to the CQA.

The big question is whether this all-encompassing top-down QA system, that in many ways undermines the internal dynamics of university governance, actually supports universities to enhance the quality of education. This article highlights some concerns.

Top-down check-box activities

The QAC conducts external reviews of universities and degree programmes. A review team appointed by the UGC (who may or may not have experience in the institution/programme in question) examines the self-evaluation report submitted by the said institution/programme. The team then conducts a site visit to verify the claims made in the university’s self-evaluation report, clarify issues identified during the desk review, and examine how QA procedures operate in practice. The team holds meetings with the university administration, members of the Council and Senate, Deans, Heads of Departments, academic and non-academic staff, students, and others. Following the visit, a draft report is submitted to the relevant institution/programme for comment before final publication. The reviewed institution/programme then prepares and publishes an action plan addressing the recommendations, with subsequent monitoring of progress.

There are some worthy QA initiatives under implementation, such as improving facilities for students with disabilities and strengthening mechanisms to address sexual- and gender-based violence. However, for the most part, QA activities have little to do with improving the quality of education. They are mostly preoccupied with monitoring faculty and department websites, digital transformation, student feedback, subject evaluation, course evaluation, peer evaluation, and, more recently, staff appraisal. These activities, which consume an inordinate amount of time—so precious at understaffed universities—have become check-box activities completed to generate evidence for the next review. Below is an excerpt of a conversation between two academics (1 and 2) that conveys how QA plays out at universities (reproduced with permission).

1: … .it’s like social media you know, like posting things on Facebook or twitter or Instagram. When people do a lot of social media, everything they do, they do thinking, “okay I’m going to post it in this way… this I have to put on my Instagram.” QA is a little like that… everything is considered in light of, “ah we can use this for the review, as evidence… for example very recently we were encouraged to have all the things that we do in our department in the faculty newsletter so then they can put in the review. Every little thing has to be noted down….

2: And with pictures and all…

1: At the very least it has to be written so that you have written evidence .. you can’t be doing something for the sake of doing something or because it is good for the department … and sometimes people tell me “oh yea that’s a good idea we can fit that under this x, y section of the review..”

2: Yea, and nobody really thinks about the actual outcome… whether it’s actually helping anyone..

1: I also find that a lot of the words that we used in different ways have now been co-opted to the QA discourse ..including quality.. I can’t actually say what I want as an “outcome”, for example, that the outcome of this workshop is that my students “think about” … then I am told “ah but no that’s not one of the Bloom’s taxonomy words, “think about”.…

2: And the worst part is these medical and agriculture people, these types of people go around spreading it like some kind of gospel!

1: Yea, this cookie cutter way of doing things, they think is the height of innovativeness or creativity, when actually it is so mundane … for me the most awful thing about it is like some fungus of mundanity has taken over through QA reviews.

2: yea, when you say QA, my mind closes off immediately and I stop listening…

Auditing everything but power

QA leaves out crucial aspects of university governance. For instance, there is no review or assessment of the “quality” of university administrations under Criterion 1 or the integrity of procedures governing the promotion of academic staff under Criterion 6 of the institutional reviews.

The majority in the Council—the university’s executive and governing body, which is responsible for selecting the Vice-Chancellor (VC)—are appointed in ad hoc fashion. Apart from the Ex-Officio members in the Council (VC, Deans, etc.), and the two members elected by the Senate, the remainder are appointed by the UGC with no formal consultation or vetting procedure. The VC appointment process described in UGC Circular No. 03/2023 exemplifies how an ostensibly technical process can become entangled in political sycophancy. The Registrar invites applications for the position of VC through advertisement. Applicants must submit a curriculum vitae, a statement of vision for the university and supporting documents. The University Council appoints a three-member Search Committee of senior academics to encourage “eminent persons” to apply, while the UGC appoints a former VC from another university to “observe” the selection process.

A Special Meeting of the University Council is convened. Candidates are interviewed and must make a presentation to the Council Members, followed by questions. Each Council member “gives marks” for seven prescribed criteria: strategic focus (20%), effective leadership (20%), holistic thinking/conceptual skills (10%), academic and research excellence (15%), personal integrity (10%), professional communication (10%) and managerial competence (15%). Marks are averaged, and the Council recommends three candidates to the UGC in rank order. The UGC-appointed observer separately submits a confidential report on the selection process.

This procedure is expected to guarantee quality, but does it? Applications are submitted to the Council Members, who have been appointed on questionable bases, and who are expected to review the applications and give scores, based on objective assessments. But, in reality, most Council Members are manipulated by VC candidates, who often have personal ties with them. The UGC-appointed observer usually has no genuine interest in the outcome. And there is no way for anyone to actually question the Council’s decision once it is made. Although the highest-ranked candidate may ultimately be appointed, the selection remains a political decision made by the President, who retains the discretion to appoint any one of the three.

External reviews also do not look into the promotions of academic staff, except to scrutinise whether there are policies and procedures in place to govern promotion. Academic staff may apply for promotion to Professor once they satisfy the prescribed eligibility requirements, which typically include the period of service, academic qualifications, research and publication achievements, teaching experience, and contributions to the university and wider community. Applications are evaluated against specified criteria, with research output and academic contributions assessed through documentary evidence and expert evaluation. Under the UGC’s scheme for Professors, two experts from outside the applicant’s institution assess specified aspects of research and knowledge dissemination. Again, beneath this technical process, which is externally evaluated, lies a problematic points-based scheme that can be manipulated and abused with impunity.

Rethinking university QA

Like the VC election process and the schemes of promotion for academic staff, QA reviews are open to manipulation. Before a review, there is a chaotic rush to complete evidence gathering and reporting. Academics leave all other work aside, including at times their teaching, to focus on completing documentation and preparing reports. The standardised criteria in the review manuals and scoring sheets often do not reflect differences in disciplines and institutional contexts. But this does not really matter because any serious problems experienced by institutions or programmes are hastily brushed under the carpet to conceal any evidence that could taint the review. The goal is to obtain an A or at least a B grade at whatever cost.

QA may result in positive change if it moves beyond top-down check-box activities towards internally designed and owned processes encompassing all aspects of university governance, led by departments and faculties, and supported by adequate resources. The current QA system needs to be dismantled and replaced by procedures that are accountable, not to the UGC, but to our students and the communities we serve.

(Ramya Kumar is attached to the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna)

. Kuppi is a politics and pedagogy happening on the margins of the lecture hall that parodies, subverts, and simultaneously reaffirms social hierarchies.

Features

Down Memory Lane — the Grand 20th Edition!

Published

5 hours ago

2026/10/13

Sahan Weerasooriya

Down Memory Lane: Ready to sing again

Yes, Down Memory Lane, the beloved Sing-Along concert series that first struck a chord, way back in 1997, returns for its landmark 20th edition this Saturday, 17th October, at the beautiful Bolgoda Grand Resort, Moratuwa town centre.

Having celebrated its glorious 25th anniversary with the show in 2023, this milestone 20th concert promises to be even more special.

The organisers, the ever-popular Moratuwa Arts Forum, are pulling out all the stops to present yet another unforgettable evening, brimming with camaraderie, fellowship, and pure nostalgia.

Get ready for two-and-a-half hours of non-stop singing as veteran vocalists, from the Moratuwa Arts Forum, will take the stage to lead and inspire the happy audience to sing, sing and sing to their hearts’ content.

The repertoire? Absolutely magical, according to the organisers.

Veteran Arun Dias Bandaranaike: Will handle the evening’s proceedings / Priya Peiris: Event Conceptor

Around 40 golden oldies — from timeless English vintage evergreens and hits from the 50s to the 90s, to toe-tapping calypsos, soulful American plantation melodies, rousing cowboy and Dixieland favourites, aa well as cherished Sinhala standards. All to be sung with much gusto!

This year’s dedicated organising committee comprises Brian Coorey (Chairman), Priya Peiris (Event Conceptor), Hiran Fernando, Suranga Fernando, Viranjan Perera, Hemka Fernando and Neelesh Silva. Guidance and support comes from Moratuwa Arts Forum President Sarana Guneratne and Secretary Chandani Silva.

Adding his signature charm to the evening, as Master of Ceremonies, will be the veteran Arun Dias Bandaranaike.

Don’t miss this landmark celebration of music and memories!

For further details, contact Hiran Fernando on 0772636446 or WhatsApp 0783636446.