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Johnny sees sinister political hand in disruption of online teaching project
Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando says sinister political elements have disrupted children’s education again.
Speaking to journalists after a progress review meeting at his Ministry yesterday, the Minister said that schools had been closed here following the outbreak of the global pandemic. “The teachers however tried their level best to teach the children by opting for online education. They did so despite many technical and financial challenges. Most of them even spent out of their own pockets to teach the children. We respect and are grateful to those teachers for their dedicated service. But the unions of the three percent party dragged those teachers to the roads for protests and rallies thereby disrupting the online education and putting the future of our children in jeopardy and exposing the lives of those teachers to the deadly virus. This is not the first time that this three percent group has disrupted the education of the children of this country. There are enough instances that they did so. They killed many teachers, shut down the schools and universities, dragged the school children to protests and paved the way for the collapse of education during the 1987-1990 period of terror. They even brought the appellation of land of cannibals to this nation. Their actions created backlogs in university education delaying the education process for years and an entire generation had to suffer as a result.
The President and the Prime Minister have pledged to rectify this 24-year-old issue of salary anomalies in the teaching profession. We have determined that we would not leave it to another government to solve. We have four more years to solve this problem once and for all. Knowing that we would rectify the errors that created salary anomalies, the bankrupt unionists instigate the teachers to take to the streets. The union leaders seem to have the opportunistic plan to show off that the problem would be solved due to their protests and to claim credit for it. However, by opting for this course of action, they not only disrupted the education of children but also put the lives of teachers in danger. The teachers who attend protests to hold up placards in the road and participate in marches violating all health guidelines finally go to their homes carrying the deadly virus with them. By doing so they also put the lives of their family members in danger. Thereby the unionists put the lives of the entire population of 22 million in danger by paving the way for the fourth wave of the pandemic in this country.
“Although we as a nation have been hit hard by the pandemic, we continue to pay the salaries of teachers and other public servants unlike many other countries. We call on the unionists not to hold the future and education of our children to ransom to achieve their narrow political objectives. The dream of every parent is to provide a decent education for their children and I call on the cabal of unionists not to shoot that dream down by the gun called narrow political gains. The most worthwhile thing that the teachers could do at this time is to help restore the education of children. In Russia Lenin once said that the best should be to the children, but our local Stalin is disrupting our children’s education.”
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
