Features

Free education is the canary in the coalmine

Published

3 years ago

2022/08/30

By Nicola Perera

In the national media of 21 August 2022, the UGC Chairman goes on record saying that, as university authorities deliberate the possibilities of bringing students back to campuses while the nation grapples with a devastating economic collapse and the pandemic, online education will continue to function as an interim measure. He said that data facilities had been provided to students and discussions have been held with telecom providers to strengthen signals, and, in the meantime, students need to find areas with stronger signals. Let me translate plainly what this means in this third year of online teaching in my classrooms.

The fundamental prerequisites for online education are a computer and a stable internet signal to minimise, as far as possible, the physical and mental disruption inherent in the transition to the virtual classroom for the student. It has become an unremarkable fact that the overwhelming majority of students, in this country, from primary to tertiary levels, since the onset of the pandemic, at some point received or, even now, are receiving an education, including sitting for examinations, via a phone screen. It should not need to be said that this represents a tremendous hardship, and no students, not in kindergarten, let alone university, should be squinting for hours and hours to learn through a phone screen.

Numerous families still cannot afford smart phones or data cards. Those with more than one child in school and/or university, and one phone between them, contend with the extreme difficulty of balancing one child’s education against another’s. The number of students dropping out has increased, mostly in schools with the least resources, and among families with the least resources, with parents usually engaged in the informal economy in menial labour jobs, as families became, and continue to become severely impoverished. Children have prematurely entered the labour force instead of continuing to learn. In my classes, I have watched attendance plummet over the last three years. Students communicate privately of being unable to join lectures because of needing to work in garment factories, in bakeries, in garages, in the sweatshops of the FTZs here, and in West Asia, to support their families instead of devoting themselves to their education.

Then take the issue of a stable internet connection. Early in the pandemic, the media spotlighted children on roofs, and trees, to tap into a signal, presumably the kind of initiative the UGC Chairman demands that students should show. My classes have been whittled down to those who live in areas with sufficient signal strength to even join a Zoom class for an uninterrupted period, in between power cuts. What happens to the rest? Have we reached the point where climbing trees and roofs and travelling distances, from home, in search of a viable mobile signal to follow online classes, or sit for an online examination, are taken for granted as a reasonable demand to be made of students? This is the situation encapsulated by that much-bandied-about and utterly execrable phrase, the “new normal.” At our wits’ end and at the very edge of desperation and despair, I have begun calling individual students to attempt to teach them over the phone, but even then, there is a significant percentage of students who will sit for examinations with little to no learning, if they do not simply abandon university altogether.

The vast majority of students in state education – from primary to tertiary, and particularly in the humanities in universities – are from socioeconomically marginalised backgrounds, and their opportunities to educate themselves, and the quality of the education they receive, are marked by their lack of privilege. Free education in this country, from primary to university levels, was envisaged at the dawn of the post-colonial nation as a measure of democratisation. The goal was to fashion citizens who would be treated as equals in a democratic society. It held out a promise of access for all—that no child would be denied education due to poverty—and through that access, socioeconomic mobility. But the pandemic, and the current economic turbulence, have only heightened the process of attrition where dwindling state, and public, commitment to free education, is leaving behind the most vulnerable of our students, those who would most benefit from free education. Amidst fatuous pronouncements by our education authorities, signaling that online education is a desirable step towards a modern technology-driven economy, there is little space to question what kind of education experience we’ve had over the last few years. It has been atomised, alienating, and psychologically draining, instead of a process or self-realisation and individual and collective empowerment, of broadening intellectual horizons. Constrained by the online format, inadequate telecommunications infrastructure, intermittent power cuts, and economic struggles, education has become little more than a hurried shoving of watered-down facts at students – not the intellectual, political, social awakening that university education in particular should be.

Where does this leave us? We, in the university community, must be sensitive to and strongly advocate for the needs and aspirations of all our students, concertedly resisting the ad hoc and unsound UGC policies promulgated with neither adequate consultation nor recognition of the glaring lack of basic facilities. State policy has consistently been, and remains, fundamentally hostile towards our most vulnerable, marginalised citizens, which, over the decades, the nation has grown indifferent to and even complicit in. Yesterday’s ingrained liberal middle- and upper-class contempt toward student protestors on the streets, struggling to protect free education, leads us directly to today’s quietism towards state repression of student activists calling for democratic revolution. Make no mistake, the state of free education is the canary in the coal mine for the health of Sri Lanka’s democracy. This is why safeguarding free education must be a central tenet of our continued struggles towards a broader, more meaningful democracy and socioeconomic justice.

The author Nicola Perera works at the University of Colombo.

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

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Features

US’ drastic aid cut to UN poses moral challenge to world

Published

8 hours ago

2026/01/1

Thilina Walpola

An UN humanitarian mission in the Gaza. [File: Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency]

‘Adapt, shrink or die’ – thus runs the warning issued by the Trump administration to UN humanitarian agencies with brute insensitivity in the wake of its recent decision to drastically reduce to $2bn its humanitarian aid to the UN system. This is a substantial climb down from the $17bn the US usually provided to the UN for its humanitarian operations.

Considering that the US has hitherto been the UN’s biggest aid provider, it need hardly be said that the US decision would pose a daunting challenge to the UN’s humanitarian operations around the world. This would indeed mean that, among other things, people living in poverty and stifling material hardships, in particularly the Southern hemisphere, could dramatically increase. Coming on top of the US decision to bring to an end USAID operations, the poor of the world could be said to have been left to their devices as a consequence of these morally insensitive policy rethinks of the Trump administration.

Earlier, the UN had warned that it would be compelled to reduce its aid programs in the face of ‘the deepest funding cuts ever.’ In fact the UN is on record as requesting the world for $23bn for its 2026 aid operations.

If this UN appeal happens to go unheeded, the possibilities are that the UN would not be in a position to uphold the status it has hitherto held as the world’s foremost humanitarian aid provider. It would not be incorrect to state that a substantial part of the rationale for the UN’s existence could come in for questioning if its humanitarian identity is thus eroded.

Inherent in these developments is a challenge for those sections of the international community that wish to stand up and be counted as humanists and the ‘Conscience of the World.’ A responsibility is cast on them to not only keep the UN system going but to also ensure its increased efficiency as a humanitarian aid provider to particularly the poorest of the poor.

It is unfortunate that the US is increasingly opting for a position of international isolation. Such a policy position was adopted by it in the decades leading to World War Two and the consequences for the world as a result for this policy posture were most disquieting. For instance, it opened the door to the flourishing of dictatorial regimes in the West, such as that led by Adolph Hitler in Germany, which nearly paved the way for the subjugation of a good part of Europe by the Nazis.

If the US had not intervened militarily in the war on the side of the Allies, the West would have faced the distressing prospect of coming under the sway of the Nazis and as a result earned indefinite political and military repression. By entering World War Two the US helped to ward off these bleak outcomes and indeed helped the major democracies of Western Europe to hold their own and thrive against fascism and dictatorial rule.

Republican administrations in the US in particular have not proved the greatest defenders of democratic rule the world over, but by helping to keep the international power balance in favour of democracy and fundamental human rights they could keep under a tight leash fascism and linked anti-democratic forces even in contemporary times. Russia’s invasion and continued occupation of parts of Ukraine reminds us starkly that the democracy versus fascism battle is far from over.

Right now, the US needs to remain on the side of the rest of the West very firmly, lest fascism enjoys another unfettered lease of life through the absence of countervailing and substantial military and political power.

However, by reducing its financial support for the UN and backing away from sustaining its humanitarian programs the world over the US could be laying the ground work for an aggravation of poverty in the South in particular and its accompaniments, such as, political repression, runaway social discontent and anarchy.

What should not go unnoticed by the US is the fact that peace and social stability in the South and the flourishing of the same conditions in the global North are symbiotically linked, although not so apparent at first blush. For instance, if illegal migration from the South to the US is a major problem for the US today, it is because poor countries are not receiving development assistance from the UN system to the required degree. Such deprivation on the part of the South leads to aggravating social discontent in the latter and consequences such as illegal migratory movements from South to North.

Accordingly, it will be in the North’s best interests to ensure that the South is not deprived of sustained development assistance since the latter is an essential condition for social contentment and stable governance, which factors in turn would guard against the emergence of phenomena such as illegal migration.

Meanwhile, democratic sections of the rest of the world in particular need to consider it a matter of conscience to ensure the sustenance and flourishing of the UN system. To be sure, the UN system is considerably flawed but at present it could be called the most equitable and fair among international development organizations and the most far-flung one. Without it world poverty would have proved unmanageable along with the ills that come along with it.

Dehumanizing poverty is an indictment on humanity. It stands to reason that the world community should rally round the UN and ensure its survival lest the abomination which is poverty flourishes. In this undertaking the world needs to stand united. Ambiguities on this score could be self-defeating for the world community.

For example, all groupings of countries that could demonstrate economic muscle need to figure prominently in this initiative. One such grouping is BRICS. Inasmuch as the US and the West should shrug aside Realpolitik considerations in this enterprise, the same goes for organizations such as BRICS.

The arrival at the above international consensus would be greatly facilitated by stepped up dialogue among states on the continued importance of the UN system. Fresh efforts to speed-up UN reform would prove major catalysts in bringing about these positive changes as well. Also requiring to be shunned is the blind pursuit of narrow national interests.

Features

Egg white scene …

Published

8 hours ago

2026/01/1

Thilina Walpola

Hi! Great to be back after my Christmas break.

Thought of starting this week with egg white.

Yes, eggs are brimming with nutrients beneficial for your overall health and wellness, but did you know that eggs, especially the whites, are excellent for your complexion?

OK, if you have no idea about how to use egg whites for your face, read on.

Egg White, Lemon, Honey:

Separate the yolk from the egg white and add about a teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and about one and a half teaspoons of organic honey. Whisk all the ingredients together until they are mixed well.

Apply this mixture to your face and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before cleansing your face with a gentle face wash.

Don’t forget to apply your favourite moisturiser, after using this face mask, to help seal in all the goodness.

Egg White, Avocado:

In a clean mixing bowl, start by mashing the avocado, until it turns into a soft, lump-free paste, and then add the whites of one egg, a teaspoon of yoghurt and mix everything together until it looks like a creamy paste.

Apply this mixture all over your face and neck area, and leave it on for about 20 to 30 minutes before washing it off with cold water and a gentle face wash.

Egg White, Cucumber, Yoghurt:

In a bowl, add one egg white, one teaspoon each of yoghurt, fresh cucumber juice and organic honey. Mix all the ingredients together until it forms a thick paste.

Apply this paste all over your face and neck area and leave it on for at least 20 minutes and then gently rinse off this face mask with lukewarm water and immediately follow it up with a gentle and nourishing moisturiser.

Egg White, Aloe Vera, Castor Oil:

To the egg white, add about a teaspoon each of aloe vera gel and castor oil and then mix all the ingredients together and apply it all over your face and neck area in a thin, even layer.

Leave it on for about 20 minutes and wash it off with a gentle face wash and some cold water. Follow it up with your favourite moisturiser.

Features

Confusion cropping up with Ne-Yo in the spotlight

Published

8 hours ago

2026/01/1

Thilina Walpola

Ne-Yo: His management should clarify the last-minute cancellation

Superlatives galore were used, especially on social media, to highlight R&B singer Ne-Yo’s trip to Sri Lanka: Global superstar Ne-Yo to perform live in Colombo this December; Ne-Yo concert puts Sri Lanka back on the global entertainment map; A global music sensation is coming to Sri Lanka … and there were lots more!

At an official press conference, held at a five-star venue, in Colombo, it was indicated that the gathering marked a defining moment for Sri Lanka’s entertainment industry as international R&B powerhouse and three-time Grammy Award winner Ne-Yo prepares to take the stage in Colombo this December.

What’s more, the occasion was graced by the presence of Sunil Kumara Gamage, Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs of Sri Lanka, and Professor Ruwan Ranasinghe, Deputy Minister of Tourism, alongside distinguished dignitaries, sponsors, and members of the media.

Shah Rukh Khan: Disappointed his fans in Sri Lanka

According to reports, the concert had received the official endorsement of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, recognising it as a flagship initiative in developing the country’s concert economy by attracting fans, and media, from all over South Asia.

Nick Carter: His concert, too, was cancelled due to “Unforeseen circumstances

However, I had that strange feeling that this concert would not become a reality, keeping in mind what happened to Nick Carter’s Colombo concert – cancelled at the very last moment.

Carter issued a video message announcing he had to return to the USA due to “unforeseen circumstances” and a “family emergency”.

Though “unforeseen circumstances” was the official reason provided by Carter and the local organisers, there was speculation that low ticket sales may also have been a factor in the cancellation.

Well, “Unforeseen Circumstances” has cropped up again!

In a brief statement, via social media, the organisers of the Ne-Yo concert said the decision was taken due to “unforeseen circumstances and factors beyond their control.”

Ne-Yo, too, subsequently made an announcement, citing “Unforeseen circumstances.”

The public has a right to know what these “unforeseen circumstances” are, and who is to be blamed – the organisers or Ne-Yo!

Ne-Yo’s management certainly need to come out with the truth.

However, those who are aware of some of the happenings in the setup here put it down to poor ticket sales, mentioning that the tickets for the concert, and a meet-and-greet event, were exorbitantly high, considering that Ne-Yo is not a current mega star.

We also had a cancellation coming our way from Shah Rukh Khan, who was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka for the City of Dreams resort launch, and then this was received: “Unfortunately due to unforeseen personal reasons beyond his control, Mr. Khan is no longer able to attend.”

Referring to this kind of mess up, a leading showbiz personality said that it will only make people reluctant to buy their tickets, online.

“Tickets will go mostly at the gate and it will be very bad for the industry,” he added.