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Available agricultural expertise not passed down to farmers
“Let’s read DS again”
Only 1.7 percent of paddy farmers here have received any kind of professional training in agriculture despite the Agriculture Ministry having the highest number of PhDs in agriculture related subjects and an extensive network of agrarian officials countrywide, it was revealed at a conference on Thursday.
Guest Speaker at the conference, consultant paediatrician and researcher on political history, Dr Ajith Amarasinghe, said that majority of our farmers have had less than a month’s training.
Quoting numbers from an Agricultural Household Survey conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, Amarasinghe focused on this lacuna pointing out that despite available expertise, scientific knowledge has not been transferred to farmers on the ground.
“The Agriculture Ministry has the highest number of field officers. They do possess classical knowledge on agriculture but have had no training on how to transfer practical knowledge to the farmers in the field,” he told the meeting organized by the School of Democracy, an independent academy to promote political literacy and young political leadership.
The event titled “Let’s read DS again” conducted via zoom was attended by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Amarasinghe said the country’s education system was not geared to help its main industries and agriculture. “Our first Prime Minister, DS Senanayake commenced promoting growing our own food in a country that had focused on cash crops – tea, rubber and coconut. He worked on tank restoration and land settlement because he knew that the country’s population would double from four million to eight million in 30 years from the 1920s and 1930s.
“He foresaw a food shortage with population growth. He found people had lost their lands to cash crop cultivation in the Wayamba, Central and Western provinces and settled them in the North and East dry zone less populated than the rest of the country. He spearheaded an agricultural revolution and wanted very much to promote agricultural education.”
“DS in the Legislative Assembly in 1925 pointed out that we had a defective education system with no promotion of agricultural, industrial and technical education. He campaigned for the setting up of the Peradeniya University with an Agriculture Faculty pointing out that objectives of teaching that subject could not be achieved by having Colombo-based universities.
“Successive leaders after him could not continue his vision and mission maybe for political reasons. The end result is that parents try to make their children doctors, lawyers and engineers. Only a minuscule number of students could reach these professions while over 95 percent end their education only with literacy skills,” Dr Amarasinghe said.
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Hatthikuchchi, Kalankuttiya, Halmillewa, Ipalogama, Palugaswewa and Habarana at about 12:11 noon. today [10]
On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during 05th to 14th of April in this year.
The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (10th) are Hatthikuchchi, Kalankuttiya, Halmillewa, Ipalogama, Palugaswewa and Habarana at about 12:11 noon.
Signs are clear that the local government (LG) elections, originally scheduled for 06 May, will have to be held on a staggered basis, as nomination lists in respect of about 200 out of 339 LG institutions have been challenged before the Court of Appeal, according to sources.
Those who have filed cases in the Court of Appeal seek writs against holding the elections. The final date for filing cases is 21 April.
By yesterday only 113, out of 339 local government bodies, had been cleared for the 06 May elections, with no rejections of nomination lists, or objections, sources said. The nomination lists for 226 local government bodies have been rejected, and candidates on these rejected lists are entitled to file cases against the Election Commission (EC) until 21 April.
The Court of Appeal (CA) has ordered that some of the lists rejected by the Election Commission be accepted. However, the EC is planning to challenge all CA orders before the Supreme Court.
When contacted for comment, Director General of the Election Commission, Saman Sri Ratnayake, told The Island that all arrangements had been made to hold the elections on 06 May, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Authorities Elections (Amendment) Act No. 16 of 2017.
“We will hold elections to the local government bodies for which there are no legal barriers, and this will depend on the final decision of the courts,” Ratnayake said, adding that elections to other local government bodies would be held on later dates.
By Saman Indrajith
Sri Lanka and Australia have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening defence ties and exploring new avenues for cooperation in areas such as maritime domain awareness (MDA), training exchanges and capacity-building initiatives.
A number of key matters of mutual interest, particularly in the area of defence and security cooperation were deliberated when the Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Paul Stephens, paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General (retd.) Aruna Jayasekara at his office in Colombo on Tuesday (April 8).
The meeting was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Australia and Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The Deputy Minister has expressed his appreciation for Australia’s continued support in strengthening Sri Lanka’s maritime security and defence capabilities.
Highlighting a recent example of this collaboration, Major General Jayasekara acknowledged the significant contribution made by the Australian government through the donation of a state-of-the-art Shallow Water Multi-Beam Echo Sounder to the Sri Lanka Navy Hydrographic Service (SLNHS). He noted that this advanced equipment has brought a transformative enhancement to Sri Lanka’s capacity for surveying harbours, coastal areas and strategic waterways, thereby contributing to both national security and regional maritime stability, the statement added.
Sun directly overhead Hatthikuchchi, Kalankuttiya, Halmillewa, Ipalogama, Palugaswewa and Habarana at about 12:11 noon. today [10]
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