News
Expert warns overcrowded public transport recipe for fresh spike in pandemic

… urge public and private firms to provide transport to their workers
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Both public and private companies should immediately provide adequate transport for their staff if the country was to avoid another spike in COVID-19 and a costly lockdown, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Management Consultant Dr. Sanjaya Perera told The Island yesterday.
Commenting on congestion in buses, Dr. Perera said that it was obvious that most companies had not taken ‘work from home’ initiatives seriously.
“Buses are overcrowded and this is a dangerous situation. After 18 months of costly COVID control measures, we have learnt nothing. If public and private sectors insist that they want to bring employees back to office en masse, they must provide them with safe transport options,” he said.
Dr. Perera added that he had suggested to several top private companies to cut down on subsidies on meals and invest the money in transport. He noted that most institutions provided free refreshments several times in a day, but also canteens in various institutions were highly subsidised.
“However, since the beginning of the pandemic, most office workers are wary of eating out. They are bring food from home and I know that a lot of food is wasted. Perhaps, these institutions can reduce the subsidy on meals and invest funds so saved in transport for their employees,” he said.
Dr. Perera was also critical of the government circular that discouraged people in the same office from carpooling. While there is a risk in sharing the same vehicle, the risk is far lower than travelling in overcrowded buses and vans, he said.
“The problem here is that we are relying solely on the vaccine. Surely, vaccination is of great importance. However, countries that have successfully dealt with COVID have done so through good practices and protocols. We have had more than enough time to figure out what to do but we have not cared to do so.”
News
Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation plague most schools, say Principals

By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakkone and Chaminda Silva
Around 500 schools across the country lack access to safe drinking water for students, Piyasiri Fernando, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Principals’ Association, has said.
Fernando told The Island that a significant number of schools did not have facilities to store water properly. He said many schools lacked sanitary facilities.
Fernando also noted that in some schools in the Eastern, North Central, Uva, North Western, and Central provinces, as well as in approximately 20% of schools located near coastal areas, there are no proper toilet facilities. Despite the issuance of circulars specifying the number of toilets to be built, based on the number of students, some schools still did not have sanitary facilities as per those guidelines, the Secretary of the Principals’ Association said.
According to the School Census -2023 (2024) conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics there were 3,882,688 schoolchildren, 830,021 in National Schools and 3,052,667 in Provincial Schools.
Out of 10,096 schools, 1,506 have 1-50 students, 1,638 have 51-100 students and 2,128 have 101-200 students. Only 67 schools have 3,001-4,000 students, while only 33 have more than 4,000 students. 3,117 or 30.9 percent schools have fewer than 10 teachers.
News
Julie meets Namal at SLPP HQ

US Ambassador, Julie Chung, visited the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) office on Friday (14) for discussions with party representatives.
Ambassador Chung arrived at the SLPP Headquarters around 10:00 a.m. and engaged in talks for over an hour and a half. Her visit followed a request by the SLPP to meet her.
During the meeting, she held discussions with SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, former Members of Parliament Sanjeewa Edirimanne, C.B. Ratnayake, and Jayantha Ketagoda, as well as current MP D.V. Chanaka. Milinda Rajapaksha, an advisor to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was also present.
The visit comes amid calls from SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa for an investigation into USAID fund recipients in Sri Lanka.
News
Speaker agrees to probe allegations of ‘unethical funding’ by USAID

By Saman Indrajith
Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne informed Parliament on Friday (14) that he intended to take necessary action regarding requests made by MPs concerning allegations over USAID funding in Sri Lanka.
He made this statement in response to a question raised by Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who sought a clarification on the matter.
Jayasekara noted that SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa had sent a letter to the Speaker calling for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate reports about unethical USAID funding in the country. He questioned whether such a committee would be formed and the matter formally examined.
In response, Speaker Wickramaratne confirmed that he was planning to take appropriate action on the issue.
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