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Remedial actions that need to be taken without delay

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5 years ago

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The government’s delay in going to the IMF has been explained by its economic decision-makers as due to the concern that IMF conditions for a financial bailout package will impose more burdens on the general population. So is staying where we are. A national government, which implies joint governance with the Opposition in which the ethnic and religious minorities have sufficient and adequate representation, will enable difficult decisions to be made.

by Jehan Perera

It is important that the government acts quickly to restore the people’s confidence that it is able to turn things around and solve problems.  The sharp depreciation of the rupee against the dollar and the prospects of more depreciation taking place, in the days to come will generate price rises that the general population cannot afford to bear.  Already the Covid-induced job losses and the price increases that have been taking place have weakened the people’s capacity to bear with more losses of income due to the falling rate of exchange of the local currency.  So far there has been no mass mobilisation of protestors but this can change.  The main Opposition party, the SJB, headed by the Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, will be commencing its mass agitation this week.  They have much to agitate against- apart from the economic crisis, there is the erosion of the Rule of Law, increased military presence in public institutions, and unwillingness to hold elections when they are due.

Adding to the government’s discomfiture, UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet’s report has been very critical of its implementation of the recommendations made in Resolution 46/1 of March 2021.  The recommendations in that resolution had the issue of accountability for human rights violations and war crimes at its centre but were not limited to that.  They also included, ensuring the drafting process for a new Constitution is based on broad and inclusive consultations, entrenches the independence of judiciary and key national institutions such as the HRCSL, and advances the devolution of political authority, which is integral to reconciliation and the full enjoyment of human rights by all members of its population; avoiding reliance on the military to run civilian affairs and steps to reduce the influence of the military on civilian life.  The report also noted the role some of those who are implicated in human rights cases play in high positions in the government.

The government’s preparations for the ongoing UNHRC session did not focus on these issues but on other issues.  One was to amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act.  The government took pride in the fact that it had proposed amendments that were approved by the Cabinet for the first time in 43 years.  However, these amendments were deemed insufficient by human rights organisations, both within and outside the country, and by the UN Human Rights Commissioner.  Another initiative of the government was to reactivate several institutions that had become virtually defunct with the change of government in 2019.  These included the Office on Missing Persons, the Office for Reparations and the Office of National Unity and Reconciliation.  The government also transferred the NGO Secretariat from the purview of the Ministry of Defence to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

GROUND SITUATION

The problem with the government’s response to the concerns of the UNHRC and human rights organisations is that it has not really changed the situation on the ground very much.  This was seen when in the run up to the UNHRC session, a civic activist, who is campaigning for justice for Easter bombing victims,was almost bundled into a white van by members of the security forces.  This crude attempt at silencing a critic was thwarted because the activist was able to livestream the entire episode on social media, much to the consternation of his would-be-abductors.  The transfer of the NGO Secretariat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not stopped the surveillance and questioning of civic groups and NGOs by the state’s intelligence apparatus which continues to treat them as threats to national security.  During a recent visit to Jaffna we saw that the government is continuing to act as if the war that ended more than 12 years ago was still alive in their minds and on the ground.

At Omanthai, on the A9 highway, where the last checkpoint used to be, and the no-man’s zone commenced during the war, there is still a big barrier placed across the road which vehicles have to zig-zag through along with armed security force personnel present. At tourist sites in Jaffna, such as at the Nilavarai bottomless well, there are military personnel on duty with guns. Both of these are unnecessary and reflect a government that continues to be in a war frame of mind even though the people of Jaffna have no thought of war on their minds but only want to live in peace with dignity and fairness. Near Palali airport large tracts of land continue to be fenced off and denied to the people. The land is covered by over growth into a jungle.  It is a pity that a fertile red soil area is abandoned and left uncultivated and unused by the owners.  It is necessary that this land should be returned to the people so that they may live and farm it, as it is rightfully their own.  Such a move will also contribute to the national economy which is currently facing a food crisis.

The leaks that the government is contemplating forming a national government could pacify public sentiment and give renewed hope that the problems that afflict the country can be dealt with in a better manner.  The government has also announced that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will call an all-party conference to discuss the country’s problems and, prior to that, meet with the main Tamil party, the TNA, without whose presence the substance of a national government will be more hollow than hopeful. There is still some doubt as to whether the meeting will actually take place.  On more than one occasion in the past two years, the President has promised to talk to the TNA, even fixing a date on one occasion, only to renege on the promise for no good reason.  If the meeting between the President and TNA does take place, it will be a positive development.  There is no better way to resolve problems than through face-to- face engagement, dialogue and mutual accommodation.  The unknown factor here is the President’s own thinking in the context of the government position as the position of the TNA is well known.

CHANGES NECESSARY

The small numbers of ethnic and religious minorities in decision-making bodies of the state at multiple levels have eroded their confidence. The failure of the government leadership to meet with the TNA and find ways to bridge the gap between them has led to a widening gap, and eventually to a situation where the government is being forced to deal with the international community instead.  The pressure is coming from multiple fronts, from the UN Human Rights Council on war-time accountability, from the EU on the Prevention of Terrorism Act and from India on the political solution to the Tamil national problem. While these are the respective focuses of those three parties, their negative assessment of the situation in the country is more all-encompassing and includes issues of governance and rule of law. The government has been taking reassurance from its observation that 31 of 45 countries that spoke at the UNHRC session had been supportive of Sri Lanka. However, it is reported that only nine of the countries that spoke in defence of Sri Lanka had voting rights at the UNHRC.

The government’s concern would be the next session of the UNHRC this coming September.  A decision would be made at this session regarding the follow up to Resolution 46/1.  The government would wish to see the end of this process where every four months its progress in terms of human rights and governance is being discussed at the UN.  The government would also wish the monitoring mechanism that has been put into place in Geneva brought to an end. However, critics of the government’s performance would call for a new resolution that is even stronger than the present one.  Their position has been strengthened by the call of Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, in 2019 on behalf of the Catholic Church, that the international investigative mechanism should continue and should deliver justice to the victims of the Easter Sunday bombing.

The announcement that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be calling for an all-party conference and may even form a national government offers the hope that the issues that are being taken to the international arena will be settled within the country itself.  The long unresolved problem of a political solution to the ethnic conflict, which includes doing justice to its victims and finding a power sharing mechanism for ethnic minorities who are regional majorities will need to be one area of concentration.  The other will be to deal with the current economic problems.  The government’s delay in going to the IMF has been explained by its economic decision-makers as due to the concern that IMF conditions for a financial bailout package will impose more burdens on the general population. So is staying where we are. A national government, which implies joint governance with the Opposition in which the ethnic and religious minorities have sufficient and adequate representation, will enable difficult decisions to be made.


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Features

Why do students ‘fear’ algebra?

Published

4 mins ago

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2026/09/28

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by R N A de Silva
rnades@gmail.com

“I was good with numbers and liked mathematics, but it changed when letters started to replace numbers”- such sentiments are common expressions that we hear. Perhaps the challenges that the students face in mathematics as a school subject are mainly due to the fear of algebra. For many students the transition into secondary education brings this profound sense of academic dread – algebra. This anxiety is more a structural byproduct of human minds adapt to radical shifts in thinking than a personal failure of the individual student. Many students who have been dealing only with numbers suddenly feel that they are in unfamiliar territory as they have to combine numbers with letters, symbols and rules. Dismantling this fear has to be done by the educators through reshaping how it is introduced and contextualised so that it becomes an accessible gateway of logical reasoning.

Let us look at the reasons for the development of the fear of algebra.

The Challenge of the ‘unknown’

In the first few years of formal schooling, mathematics becomes a tangible experience. They can count with their fingers or tools like counters and beads. They can measure lengths of tables or rooms or divide boxes or fruits into fractions. The operations are predictable and visible. There is stability in numbers as three is always a three. Algebra disrupts this stability. Letters such as x and y are introduced which do not possess fixed values. Suddenly, they are asked to manipulate symbols which they cannot physically see. This demand for abstract thinking can leave students bewildered. When a student enters this stage prematurely or without adequate background, the brain struggles to attach meaning to symbols.

Foundational gaps

As mathematics is uniquely sequential and cumulative, a weak grasp of basic skills may hinder progress in algebra. If a student leaves primary school with a shaky understanding of mathematical operations, it will be a disruption to their ability to follow algebraic steps. Solving an algebraic equation such as 3x – 2 = 10 consists of two levels of cognitive processing. Determining the properties applicable to isolate the variable requires higher order strategic thinking while executing the basic arithmetic operations requires lower order execution. If difficulties arise with lower order execution, they lose track of the broader algebraic strategy. Building confidence starts with consistent practice of foundational skills.

Fear of making mistakes

In general, a problem in algebra may involve a multi-step process unlike in a standard arithmetic problem. This increases the chances of making mistakes thus resulting in an incorrect final answer although the process is correct. Unfortunately, the traditional grading systems often rely heavily on the final result than the logical process. This can lead to an intense fear of failure. Subsequently, this threat of failure may turn into a highly stressful experience.

Now, let us consider strategies to eliminate or minimise the growth of the fear of algebra.

Using concrete examples to clarify abstract ideas

It is essential for teachers to use concrete examples to bridge the gap between simple mathematics and symbolic reasoning, rather than forcing students to jump to abstractness unassisted. A few examples are given below.

Solving an equation such as 3x + 10 = 100 can be introduced in the form of a story. ‘I went to a shop and gave the shopkeeper Rs 100 asking for three candies. He gave me three candies and also Rs 10 as balance. What is the price that I have paid for a candy?’ The gradual introduction of a variable will be made easier with such narratives.

Figure 1

Equations can also be framed as games of balancing on a scale to understand what you do to one side of the scale need to be done on the other side too to maintain balance. (See figure 1)

Factorisation is an area that many students struggle with. The need for a quadratic expression to be converted to a product can be shown through tiles that need to be fully covered in a rectangular area. Factors of X^2 + 5x + 6 can be manipulated with tiles as shown below to obtain the answer as (x + 3)(x + 2). (See figure 2)

Figure 2

With such demonstration, symbols lose their mystical quality.

Embrace mistakes as stepping stones

Errors should be treated as valuable diagnostic data by the teachers where the students are able to dissect where a problem went wrong. Creating a supportive learning environment that normalises mistakes as learning opportunities helps reduce anxiety and encourages persistence.

Assessment should also be done to reward logical reasoning and correct algebraic procedures without giving too much weight to minor arithmetical errors. Formative assessments need to be conducted regularly as algebra is introduced, before the students become overwhelmed by the complexities of cumulative assessments.

Connect with real life applications

Many students fail to see how algebra connects to everyday life, making it harder for them to stay motivated. Wherever possible, teachers can demonstrate practical uses of algebra such as tracking expenses to find the balance remaining after expenditure, estimating travel time or fuel consumption, use of recipes dealing with proportion, tiling the floor of a room and finding measurements for a scaled model of a building. Showing how algebra helps in designing games or solving real-world problems enhances interest and comprehension.

Algebra may feel intimidating at first, but it is an opportunity for students to sharpen their reasoning, resilience and problem-solving skills. When the anxiety is eliminated, algebra reveals itself as an extremely useful and elegant toolkit for problem solving. Using appropriate teaching methods algebra can be transformed from an intimidating barrier into a powerful bridge to intellectual exercise. “An ounce of algebra is worth a ton of verbal argument.” said John Haldane.

(The writer is a senior mathematics examiner of the International Baccalaureate Organisation)

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Features

Two Badulla forests covering nearly 200 hectares gazetted as reserves

Published

4 mins ago

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2026/09/28

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Badulla District

By Ifham Nizam

Two forest areas in the Badulla District — Mahiyanganaya Moopalana, covering 29.79 hectares, and Mahiyanganaya Heerussagala, covering 168.09 hectares — have been officially gazetted as forest reserves, bringing a combined 197.88 hectares of ecologically important land under formal protection.

The two forests, located in the Riddimaliyadda Divisional Secretariat Division within the Mahiyanganaya forest range, are dry-monsoon forests that provide habitats for a variety of native plant and animal species.

The declarations form part of the Government’s Vanaspathi forest conservation programme, under which 20 forests, covering a total of 9,538.68 hectares, across six districts, were granted protected status. The latest additions have taken the forest area, protected under the programme, to nearly 65,000 hectares, according to reports.

Environment Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi and Deputy Minister Anton Jayakody were associated with the conservation programme.

Commenting on the significance of the declarations, Dr. Patabendi said the reserves are intended to deliver long-term environmental, ecological and social benefits.

“Through the declaration of these reserves, we aim to protect Sri Lanka’s biodiversity, safeguard water sources and watershed areas, create opportunities for eco-tourism, and preserve areas of archaeological importance found within these forests,” the Minister said.

Moopalana Forest

The 29.79-hectare Moopalana Forest is a dry-monsoon forest containing a range of natural resources and providing habitat for native species.

The forest is also linked to the livelihoods of surrounding rural communities. Local people obtain forest-based products such as rattan, veniwel and kitul, making the area significant, not only for biodiversity conservation, but also for traditional livelihood activities.

Several small waterways that become active during the rainy season are also found within the forest.

Heerussagala Forest

The larger 168.09-hectare Heerussagala Forest is likewise a dry-monsoon forest with important ecological resources and habitats for native flora and fauna.

The forest also has a direct connection with the local water system, with Nagadeepa Wewa being fed by the forest area.

Adding to its significance is the nearby Nagadeepa Temple, an area associated with archaeological value.

The protection of the forest, therefore, encompasses ecological, water-resource and cultural considerations.

The Ministry of Environment states that its broader approach to environmental management is based on sustainable natural-resource management, with government agencies, communities and other stakeholders participating in conservation efforts.

The gazetting of Moopalana and Heerussagala consequently places nearly 200 hectares of Badulla’s dry-monsoon forest under formal protection, strengthening the legal framework for conserving their biodiversity, water resources and associated cultural values.

The two forests are among 20 forest areas officially declared reserves in the latest phase of the Vanaspathi programme, which covers forests in Badulla, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Kegalle, Nuwara Eliya and Vavuniya.

For the communities surrounding these forests, their protection also represents the preservation of natural resources that support local livelihoods and water systems — while ensuring that these forest ecosystems remain part of Sri Lanka’s natural heritage for future generations, says Environment Ministry Consultant Dr. Ravindra Kariyawasam.

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Features

Of foreigners as CEOs of Lankan ventures

Published

4 mins ago

on

2026/09/28

By

SriLankan

This has reference to J. A. A. S. Ranasinghe’s article titled ‘Shouldn’t Foreign Experts be appointed as MD of SLP?’, published on 21 Sept.

He starts by saying that it is a good thing that a foreigner has been appointed as CEO of SriLankan Airlines. I have nothing personal against Vipul Misra, the acting CEO of Sri Lankan Airlines, but surely did the Authorities look hard enough? From the names that were purported to be short listed, there were more experienced Sri Lankans with greater exposure to Commercial Aviation all over the world and not only in and around India.

One thing is certain. Even if the qualifications and anticipated ability were less on paper, a Sri Lankan Citizen of unquestionable integrity and loyalty to the airline and country was the need of the day. I know they are out there. In the past we have seen many Air Ceylon, Air Lanka and Sri Lankan Airlines, Chairmen, CEOs and ‘Board Members’ who were recipients of these high posts as political payoffs and contributed absolutely nothing and were quite literally there for the ride. The airline just operated on ‘autopilot’ day to day because of the loyalty and interest of the employees.

Emirates Airlines didn’t come to help us because they loved us. As soon as they took over the management, they dumped their excess Airbus A330’s on Air Lanka to enable Emirates to run a ‘mean and lean’ operation. It was reported that the Emirates Group was the agent for the Rolls Royce Trent Engine. Air Lanka’s 340’s had CFM 56 engines. The commissions that they made on the supply of different types of engines that the A330’s had, matched the money paid for the purchase of the Air Lanka shares. The net result was that they purchased Air Lanka shares for a song! In 2001, when it was obvious that the number of aircraft were in excess even for Air Lanka’s route network, the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was conveniently attacked and the Asian Herald Tribune declared that the “Terrorists have reduced the airline to a more manageable size!”

All the airline managements feathered their own nest. The most recent example being a conflict of interests in the Australia/ Colombo and return, direct flights done by JetStar Airlines, instead Sri Lankan Airlines increasing its frequencies, as some Sri Lankan board members were working with the JetStar General Sales Agent!

If the National Airline wants to save the situation, I would like to humbly suggest we appoint a Sri Lankan, international airline pilot of high integrity as the Chairman of the board of Management of Sri Lankan Airlines. Why an airline pilot? He has been around for years and knows what the final, finished product should be. Being at the operating (pointy) end of the airline, he has seen what to do as well as what not to do not only in his own airline but in other well-run airlines. Most importantly to keep the expat CEO under check and properly orientated and on track.

Sri Lankan Airlines will eventually be judged by its on-time performance with safety.

GUWAN SEEYA

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