A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Thursday, May 11, 2017
Try again, Mr. President!
Ranjan-Padeniya iron out differences
May 10, 2017, 8:39 pm
I am disappointed that the President did not re-convene the concerned
parties to resolve the SAITM issue. Such an attempt on his part is an
imperative in a democracy, particularly, under a threat by many TUs to
bring public life to a halt. I earnestly hope the President is not
waiting to solve the problem by neglect in the JR style or use force to
suppress it. Both such methods have proved to be failures in the past.
It is presumptuous to presume that all aspects of the issue had been
solved conclusively at the first attempt. There can be some overlooked
loopholes that are waiting for resolution. One such problem that I can
think of is the fear of disparity that might exist under a dual system.
As I pointed out in one of my early submissions, Government doctors
might be apprehensive of higher pay and perks in the private medical
schools as they multiply, as a means of attracting talent in the public
sector. A decision to equalize pay and perks in both sectors may help to
bring the dissenting parties together.
Another problem that looms large in the debate is that of the qualified
have-nots that fail to secure places in a state medical college, while
the haves buy places over them in private medical schools. Even though I
was one of the first to win a scholarship under the Kannangara Free
Education Scheme, later I had to earn my fees for my higher education
that led me to the Ceylon Civil Service. If I started quarrelling that
free education was insufficient to do my higher studies, I would not
have achieved my target. It is silly to make free education a political
demand and make it exclusive in an open economy. We have come a long way
from the Kannangara days and the additions the FES has made to the
upper middle class, can afford to pay for their education and it is
silly to debar them from buying higher education for their children.
When private education is freely available in other sectors like
Accountancy, Management and Engineering, why restrict it only in the
Medical?
There are other ways in which the State can help qualified poor students
who have just missed Medical College. As I suggested in an earlier
piece, one such way would be to stipulate that for each paying student
taken in by a private medical college, they should give a free place to a
student in the waiting list. If that is not practicable, we might use
the banks to finance needy students to underwrite their studies under a
scheme similar to the HELP of Australia.
All these provisions can make the SAITM problem disappear faster than by
neglect and despotic action, which may lead to collapse of the regime
in the long run. I pray that the President be pleased to talk to the
warring parties one more time with a view to tying up the loose ends. In
the meantime, it is hoped that the Unions would not use their power to
dislodge the even flow of public life, causing misery to the man in the
street.
Somapala Gunadheera