News

Can a punishment teach?

Published

5 years ago

2021/11/14

by Goolbai Gunasekera

This seems a silly question since all punishments are supposed to ‘teach’ or to teach discipline at any rate. But does a school child always understand all this? Do present day punishments ensure that the student does not repeat the same little misdeed again?

They do not. I speak from experience when I say this. Let me explain. All schools have rules governing poor behaviour. But given the many areas of `sinning’ these days, modern schools are unable to foresee all the varied sins that students commit. Fifty years ago, falls from grace were minor affairs and did not have the undertones of real crime that is unfortunately found in schools nowadays.

School children 50 years ago had nothing of great value to steal. Perhaps a wristwatch. Perhaps a pen. But no one thought of stealing our shoes because they were all from shops like `Batas’,’ Majestic Boot Works’ and other local shoe shops. Ballet slippers were all from Union Boot Works. You can see what I mean. Rarely, if ever, did children have anything too special. No one was envious of the “haves.”

But now! Mobiles phones range from Rs. 4000/ to Rs. 100, 000/ and I am told such expensive items are the norm rather than the exception among Colombo’s students. Nike, Adidas and other Sport’s attire likewise. Nobody bothers about plain old wristwatches these days. Very few International School kids wear Bata. And nobody yearns for a Parker pen as I did all my school life.

I eventually got my first Parker pen from my Dearly Beloved at a time when he was still a hopeful Dearly Beloved. My parents had no intention of supplying me with expensive paraphernalia. My tennis racquet was a hand me down from my Mom’s University days and I managed to comfortably win the occasional match with it.

Today no serious tennis player would be seen dead with just one racquet. All hopeful champions have name brands in duplicate or triplicate which they twirl with panache and style. Parents go overboard with equipment.

Jealousy is natural. Now all good students, good sportsmen or good student performers seem to afford the earth. Those who cannot may resort to theft. In schools kids change their shoes for basketball games, for PE classes, for ballet lessons etc. Expensive equipment and gear are left lying all over the place.

One child lost two pairs of Nike Sports shoes within a fortnight. In spite of immediate searches, they were never found. Their cost? Rs. 25,000/ each pair. I asked the angry mother why she was teaching her son the wrong values by sending him to school with such expensive equipment. Her answer is worth repeating. You and I do not have the same values Mrs. G. I can afford such things and I see no reason not to buy them.”

Such skewed thinking only adds to the rate of theft. Young kids give in to feelings of envy and steal. Of course, if caught they face grave punishments. Suspension – or even expulsion for repeated offences.

An unfortunate problem now raises its ugly head. How do parents take the punishment of their light-fingered child? They take it in the most appalling fashion.

Far from correcting their child they blame the school for over-reacting. They whisk the young miscreant off to another school. The punishment has not taught anyone in that family anything. In fact, I have watched disbelievingly while one mother comforted her sobbing son (who continued to deny a proven fact) saying “Never mind Putha. Don’t cry. You don’t have to come back to this school”.

“Mrs. Bhanu,” I tried to reason. “Don’t take that attitude. Help him to realize he has done something disgraceful. Take him away if you wish but at least YOU must punish him in some way,” Of course nothing was done and the young `criminal’ will certainly steal again, albeit, elsewhere. The suspension was never felt by the arrogant young man as his parents refused to accept he had done anything wrong. So I cast around in my mind and recalled this story which proves that worthwhile correction can be given to junior wrongdoers.

A group of cousins were playing cricket on one of those spacious lawns commonly seen in Colombo 60- years ago. They were told to stop play by six pm. My friend, Rohini, the only girl in the group, was a real tomboy and her parents openly despaired of turning her into a lady. It was just her bad luck that one day the group continued playing till well after six pm and while making a run, Rohini tripped and hurt her ankle. She was immobilized for a week. Parents of the two youngsters took counsel, how best could they punish both children for breaking the rules and I still applaud their creativity in meting out punishment.

Rohini’s cousin, Nihal, had to give up every evening’s play that week and sit by Rohini’s bed and read to her for an hour. The books were of his father’s choosing. Both Rohini and Nihal benefitted from the chastisement in that the reading was interesting and actually taught them something. The cricket never carried on till after six again.

Now THERE is the sort punishment I wish I could use. Obviously, theft of shoes will not be cured by enforced reading. But I wonder. Cannot such civilized punishments somehow work in today’s atmosphere of junior violence? Perhaps we should seriously give it some thought.

(From Gunasekara’s recently published book The ‘Principal’ Factor. It was first published some years ago in Lanka Monthly Digest).

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News

Navy renders assistance to bring injured fisherman ashore

Published

9 hours ago

2026/05/29

Priyan

The Sri Lanka Navy demonstrated its commitment to maritime safety by assisting to bring ashore an injured fisherman and rushing him for urgent medical attention on Thursday (28 May 2026)

The fisherman was aboard a local multiday fishing trawler off the south coast and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Colombo coordinated the retrieval of the fisherman.

Reportedly, the multi-day fishing trawler had departed from the Kudawella Fisheries Harbour on 05th May with 06 fishermen. While engaged in fishing activities approximately 730 nautical miles off the south coast, one of the crew members suffered an injury.

Following a formal request for assistance, through MRCC Colombo, the Merchant Vessel ‘Dong Fang Wei Ye’ sailing in the nearby sea area had been informed to retrieve the patient. In a rapid response, the Navy dispatched a craft attached to the Southern Naval Command to the designated sea area where the Merchant Vessel was stationed to transfer the fisherman.

Upon transferring the injured fisherman from the Merchant Vessel, naval personnel provided essential first aid to the injured person before swiftly bringing him to the Galle Harbour And safely transferred him to the National Hospital, Galle.

News

Applications called to recruit 400 public officers as Digital Champions for the Public Impact Champions Network

Published

9 hours ago

2026/05/29

Priyan

As a key component of the Government’s Digital Economy Plan aimed at enhancing the quality and efficiency of the public sector system, an awareness programme for coordinating executive officers of public institutions was held on Wednesday (27) at the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). The programme marked the first step towards establishing the “Public Impact Champions Network” (PIC-NET), an institutional pilot network intended to drive the optimisation of public services through the digitalisation of public institutions.

During the programme, heads of institutions were informed to submit applications from officers currently serving in public institutions who possess the capability and capacity to represent the “Champions Corps” in spearheading digital transformation, in accordance with Circular PS/ADA/Circular/3/2026.

Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka and Senior Adviser to the President on the Digital Economy, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, stated that the Government aims to increase Sri Lanka’s digitally empowered economy from its current level of 3% to 12% by 2030.

He further explained that the development of the digital economy is a process aimed at improving efficiency, quality and revenue generation through the use of communication technology in economic activities.

Pointing out how the digital economy has expanded in every developed state, Dr Hans Wijayasuriya noted that the slow growth of the digital economy remains a serious challenge faced by Third World countries. However, he stated that India is currently achieving remarkable progress in digital economic development and that elevating Sri Lanka’s digital economy to a prominent level alongside such developments is one of the Government’s principal objectives.

Dr Hans Wijayasuriya also pointed out that this digital economic growth must take place simultaneously across nearly all public institutions. Accordingly, within the next three years, the coordination and management of transactions among public institutions are expected to function in a fully networked manner similar to banking operations.

He further emphasised that the support of both public institutions and the country’s citizens as a whole would be crucial for the successful implementation of this extensive technological transformation across all public institutions over the next few years.

Ranil Peiris of the Department of Information Technology at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura briefed those present on the foundation of the PIC-NET programme and its future plans.

He explained that, in the future, citizens would be able to access services such as applying for passports and renewing licences entirely online from their homes. He further pointed out that this system would eliminate the need for citizens to repeatedly provide the same information.

Representatives of KPMG also presented the future action plan relating to the selection and training of officers.

Representing the Presidential Secretariat, Sameera Wickremasinghe further briefed participants on the mechanism for calling applications.

The necessary guidance and coordination support for this public sector digitalisation programme are being provided with the support of the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Digital Economy, GovTech Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank.

(PMD)

Foreign News

Mother-in-law of Indian bride whose death set off media frenzy arrested

Published

10 hours ago

2026/05/29

Priyan

Twisha Sharma was found dead in her marital home on 12 May [BBC]

India’s top anti-crime agency has arrested the mother-in-law of an Indian woman whose death has sparked conflicting claims of murder and suicide.

Twisha Sharma’s parents and siblings have alleged that she was tortured by her lawyer husband, Samarth Singh, and his mother – retired judge Giribala Singh – over dowry demands and that she was murdered, allegations they have denied.

The 33-year-old model and actor had been married for just five months when she was found dead in her matrimonial home in Madhya Pradesh state’s Bhopal city on 12 May.

On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Giribala Singh after questioning her for several hours.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier cancelled her anticipatory bail, finding that a trial court had ignored key evidence and witness testimony.

Following Twisha’s death, the police had registered a case of dowry death against the Singhs. Earlier this week, the investigation was taken over by the CBI.

Twisha’s death has made national headlines and has once against brought the issue of dowry deaths into the spotlight. Every year, thousands of women are murdered for bringing in insufficient dowries, even though the practice was banned in 1961.

The case has drawn significant attention because of the family’s prominence. Twisha was a former beauty pageant winner and actor, while her husband and mother-in-law were lawyers.

Twisha’s parents allege that dowry-related harassment began soon after her marriage to Singh. They also claim that when she became pregnant, Singh and his mother accused her of infidelity and forced her to terminate the pregnancy.

The Singhs deny the allegations, saying Twisha had mental health issues and took her own life. They also contend that the decision to terminate the pregnancy was hers.

Singh is currently in police custody. He had reportedly absconded after Twisha’s death and was arrested by police in Jabalpur on 22 May.

Twisha was cremated on Sunday after a second autopsy. Her family had alleged that the first post-mortem was flawed and accused the police of a cover-up, a charge the police denied.

[BBC]