Hey young guys, it is time replace talker bees with worker bees

Young guys in Sri Lanka like to join organizations where they get all the credit for the glitter and the face time. I am not including girls here, only because they are the exception and they do not come under this generalization. The young females are generally more responsible and conscientious and there are fewer bull shit artists amongst the females.

In my experience, there is a great need for recognition by way of title. They want to be the ‘sabapathi or lekam’ however when it comes to doing the work in the organization, they would prefer not to do it themselves, but delegate it to someone else. For an organization to work satisfactorily it must have as many worker bees as possible. They are the ones who move mountains and make things happen. Many do not get any recognition, as they are in the background, generally not seeking credit for their work, just hoping someone will recognize their talents and attributes.

Getting back to the talker bees; In an organization, often the talker bees get the appointments to the board and with it the title because when it comes to elections, they put their name forward, are good at canvassing support, sometimes have a network of people they have been able to fool, who think they can actually do some work, and therefore vote them into these titles. It is those very people, who obstruct the proper functioning of the organization who seek to demote those who put the effort, when the titled DO NOT get the credit for that work that takes place.

A good organization will have a power struggle with the talkers, and finally triumph over the talkers if it is to get ahead and get things done. There is resistance to change. The talker bees do not want extra activity and work, as their incompetence will be in the open for all to see, when measured against those who do the work. A good administrator will be able to impose strict discipline and be able to remove the talkers to mere ceremonial roles. Often they are unable to carry out the simplest of tasks, as they can talk about being able to do it, but when given the task fail dismally in carrying it out. The administrators must have their plan B knowing they will be let down by the talkers.

It is a gentle reminder then for young people to understand that in the end it is work work work that gets rewarded with results. There are NO shortcuts to results. The success of any organization rests with them. It is important for youth to realize that talkers are just that; Incompetent in every respect, daring to question the work of the workers without even constructive suggestions. Long live the workers.

Youth must make a stand – Why not Rebel! when schools are closed in Hambantota to watch the cricket match?

Today is Tuesday, the 24^th of July, 2012 and Sri Lanka recorded a historic victory over India in a Cricket, one day international held at the Hambantota Suriyawewa Stadium. Sadly there were hardly spectators, and we have more elephants in the wild in Sri Lanka than the number of Spectators at today’s game.

More to the point, the number of school children at the game are included in the total I mentioned above, so without them there would hardly have been anyone at the match. The fact that school children are given tickets or taken for the match on a school day is not cricket. We then give them the impression that a Cricket match is more worthwhile than attending school. That is a bad example to set for our youngsters.

To struggle to fill a stadium in the remote wilds built by displacing elephants is a crime. We have not even built a special stand for the elephants to come and watch the match after seizing their land. That too is not cricket! It is to fill the stadium that schools were given a holiday and encouraged to send their kids to the match. Remember most schools in the provinces are coeducational and so boys and girls in equal mix in their school uniforms were watching the match at night. It was a relief that the match was over before 7.30pm as the total number of overs bowled in the match barely exceeded 50. What if the match went the full course? The kids would have to go home at midnight and school the next day!

The authorities seem not to care about this issue and it is another aspect of political interference in people’s lives. It is sad that there is no concerned person in civil society to bring a case against the Govt. on behalf of the Students, akin to a FR petition for this action. I guess that is the level to which our systems have crumbled that no one even notices this point. I bet there will not be any mention of the facts above in any of the daily newspapers tomorrow.

We are a TV addicted country that hopes to recover the costs of the match out of TV rights, so it does not matter if the stadium is empty. In building a stadium in a desolate place such as that even if ALL tickets were free, they will not be able to fill the stadium with locals who live at a 10km radius from home, as they will not have the means to get home in the night, without fear of wild elephants!

What kind of country do we live in when we cannot do this and we put the lives of kids at risk. This is a blog for youth. It is time some of them took a stand.

Inter University Students Federation –what is the secret of their stranglehold?

It is time we understood how the IUSF appears on the surface to act as the conscience of the undergraduates of the State Universities, as they seem to dominate the Student Unions that represent the interests of the Students. Whilst they clearly are the JVP, the students vehemently deny that accusation and state they are not beholden to anyone and they carry out their own policies as it pertains to students.

They appear to tag on to popular themes, but when they are closely analyzed do not make sense, except that they are able to con their members into believing that it is an assault on University Education. One must remember that the IUSF is against all sorts of Private Universities and Private Tertiary Colleges. These are wholly impractical ideas that have seen their day the world over and they should concentrate on improving the quality of education in the Universities. It is the quality that will improve the chances of graduates from getting a job, not the fact that everyone who qualifies gets into university.

It is important to realize that even in places like the UK, the state universities now levy hefty fees and therefore are unable to offer free education. It is a similar issue in the Sri Lankan context as the funds just does not exist to give the University Teachers and Students a decent allowance as required by both, the first an adequate pay for the Faculty and secondly the reduction in the value of the Mahapola schools stipend as it has remained unchanged in 30 years since inception.

So what are students to do? First they need to be educated enough to balance the rights and wrongs of these people. Do they get this education at their universities now? The answer is a firm NO.

There is an assumed leveling off in the rag and that initiation is supposed to build bonds of loyalty to the IUSF. However that is not tenable due to the immediate need to get students to think and take control over their lives. In practice the students get more isolated following a bankrupt philosophy and end up on the shelf in more ways than one unable to get a job, or once they get the job quit without a moments notice.

It is very important that a truly encompassing and inclusive alternative is available to the IUSF, and they are able to explain why they make such claims. It is purely logic and reasoning that needs to be explained to the students and no one till now has been able to hit the right cord with naturally suspicious students.

Ironically it is education that will get the youth to reason correctly rather than take guidance from clearly  very biased people with an agenda that is not practical.

Where are the girls? The guys are too creepy so there is a cat hells chance of them being part of your team

When we refer to youth organizations, fronts, or even the Government’s Youth Services Corps, created by Ranil Wickremasinghe, when he was the Minister of Youth Affairs, the overwhelming bulk of participants, members and delegates are men. Actually for those age groups, as it is for all other age groups, there are more females than males. In that sense we must first look at why young women do not participate? Then look at ways we can increase their participation.

Firstly, our culture protects our young girls from being exposed too much to the outside world, and once they come home from school they are generally expected to help around the house and you do not see them on the roads playing cricket like the boys do. Of course with the tuition classes one sees a change in the traditional set up, and girls are sent on the bus on their own to the main towns especially at weekends to attend lectures for whatever exams they intend taking.

It goes without saying that they are more conscientious and accordingly have better grades at the exams. However the parents bemoan the fact that their girls get distracted by the boys in the classes and they have little ability to control who they meet and talk to. This change of practice is a huge fear that parents have as there are numerous stories of girls running away after making these tuition class liaisons.

In this climate, girls feel a little safe at tuition classes as the majority attending are girls. However in youth clubs, and youth gatherings and youth organizations the majority are boys, and the girls feel intimidated by them. There are the persistent guys who never stop when asked to desist by the girl! This is not only a fear, but with the increasing evidence of the incidence of rape, the girls are more concerned about their safety and are less likely to attend.

It is with this in mind, that the only solution is for them to gather in numbers for their own security and come to these events with friends so at least 3 or 4 come together and this gives them the strength to tackle any intimidating situation as they have the support of a few friends to tell anyone trying it on, to back off!!

It is important for women to participate in these organizations, especially political ones. In the latter, where women form the majority of voters, it is important that they also form a substantial, at least 25% representation in seeking political office. We must seriously devise a plan to obtain female participation in the political fabric of Sri Lanka, to improve commitment, governance and accountability.

We should even implement a training program for guys in how to treat women, something our men sorely lack. Similarly we should also have empowerment classes for women to be confident and not be intimidated by men. I cannot highlight the importance of women's participation in leadership development programs, as they have just as much right to participate in all areas of leadership in still a traditionally male dominated hierarchical society.

Young man stop looking for faults – be constructive - A call to 'ARMS'

I was recently heavily involved in organizing a youth event. Trying to engage the youth in organizing this event was a mammoth task in itself. Whilst they all see the potential benefit of such an event, they are unwilling to take responsibility for taking charge and doing the necessary work to make the event a success, instead nitpicking faults. There is a huge gulf between an OK event and a successful event.

Our goal, when we organize something is for it to be a success in every sense of the word. If we failed in one or two of the expectations that’s OK but not for want of trying. It is important to put one’s best efforts into the planning and execution of the said event.

One issue I have found, that needs to be stressed, is that young people are very enthusiastic, but they are often not practical as they are more interested in achieving the objective, but have no idea of how much it takes to achieve it. This is usually due to the lack of practice in organizing such events. Unlike with older people who can listen to boring speeches for ages, young people are more likely to be bored if their attention is not constantly drawn and will even get up and leave with no regard to the speaker. We must be aware of that when we determine who should speak and for how long. I personally believe that no one should make a speech for more than 15 minutes as after that attention is drawn to other matters.

Getting back to the organization of the event, it is important to plan for every possible eventuality as Murphy’s Law works here as well and so one must be prepared and not get too flustered when things do not go according to the original plan. In our event, scheduled speakers did not turn up, so we had to make quick contingency plans due to it. During the course of the event we had to make hurried changes to the order of the speeches, to accommodate the busy schedules of the invitees, who neither come on schedule. Nor can we plan on how long they will speak for.

Whilst the event was judged by many as a success, under my standards of judging I would rate it OK. It is a good beginning, we must learn from it. We must have a post mortem, to prevent certain things happening in the future. It is important for young people to learn what a high standard means, as they may never have been exposed to an event of a greater quality and hence make that observation!

Let’s work hard without delay, to raise the bar, raise the quality of our young people to a standard where they are confident and able to do most things in life.

Youth Expectations and how they swing wildly from day to day

In the Sri Lankan context, there is a huge gap between what is practically achievable and what is desired. I do not know if it is the foreign factor, where whenever a member of the family is overseas, then riches of material things are seen around the house and it breeds a great desire amongst neighbors for the same.

In my experience we do not have the desire to work hard enough to achieve those material possessions and I am afraid young people seek to achieve this in a short time by any means fair or foul. It is therefore not practical to try and suppress materialism, but to direct the desire, and urge in the right direction.

What might that direction be? Simply that of giving our youth the skills to understand that they can get what they want, by getting certain skills which will enable them to obtain employment or build a business from which they can make sufficient to achieve them. The problem as I see it is they do not see the skill that will enable them to do so. That is what society should show. It is the duty of the Govt. to identify the needed skills in our country today, and guide our policy planners to provide the educational establishments where those skills are gained, honed and developed. That kind of clear thinking is lacking.

As the foresight is not present, frustration amongst youth builds to a degree that mood swings and wild swings are the result. The young people latch on to anything or any idea and then try to imagine they can make money from it. Instead they must be shown a clear path to a promising future with a clear and rational process of how to get there.

While fulfilling the expectation gap is important, it is the gulf between what is expected and what is really possible that needs to bridged by closing the gap and not by building a mythical bridge that cannot be crossed. Realism should be the aim, so that they understand what is possible and why and as time and patience is not a trait with young people, it is more important to set short term goals and show a clear path as to how they can be achieved.

It is insane to see unproductive youth with goals which are as unproductive to society; Goals that are simply to get as much while doing as little as possible. It is a trait of lotus eaters that has to change if we are to progress to our full potential. Greed is what drives most people to achieve what they want. So to direct that greed to the right combination of realism and effort to achieve is what we must concentrate on.

Sri Lankan Politics – learn how older people prevent your rise! – overcome it

An active charismatic young person who appears to gain goodwill and votes, is an older politicians nightmare. Many old politicians are living on their years of goodwill, which they try to carry with them to their graves. This kind of selfish activity prevents young people from getting into politics.

The examples are for all to see at the recent scramble for nominations by young people in both the main parties challenging the latest series of provincial council elections, namely the older seasoned politicians who only want to include names of little known people who are NOT a threat to their re election prospects. Any good definite vote getter will be muzzled, mainly by his organizer in his electorate and then by all those seeking re-election in the same ticket, for the Provincial Councils.

It is best to know the reality, and play a seasoned game to avoid being excluded from seeking election, and once nominations are received, from belittling the little un on the campaign trail as someone who needs a lot of work before he or she can hope to get elected.

Young people must face this inevitable challenge, with their charm as youth, they may be able to overcome the traps and obstacles laid in front of them. Remember, as one who had to undergo this in the past, will you allow the practice to continue?

The kepili ketili viyaparaya engaged in by some, can be overcome, and a promising young person can use this prevention to gain sympathy and votes, and sometimes even oust the person who has tried to prevent him out of office. It is sweet revenge when they can achieve this feat and there are examples of many who have had to face this and were able to reach high political office despite the visible and invisible barriers laid before them.

It is important the young people are fully aware of what they face and how they are able to stealthily overcome some of the challenges. The proportional representation system which has spurred the fight for preferences is at the root cause but which is not likely to change soon, as it is not in the interests of the government in power. They believe the current system in the long term will back them and are disinclined to change the bases of calculation.

A politically astute young person will know how to face this challenge and win without falling out with their party’s hierarchy, as that determines his future.

Young Woman – you are so lucky and you don’t even know it!

Sri Lanka will shortly increase the percentage of places reserved for women nominees from political parties, for election to the local bodies of the Pradeshiya Sabhas and Municipal Councils. That is a splendid move and a chance for young people, included in the percentage is youth seeking election under 35 as a separate category which is also established with a specific minimum number of candidates.

You must have read in the papers these past days, what a scramble there was for nominations, especially through the main political parties. There were many disappointed people who did not get nomination.

So young lady you come to me. If you are 21 and you honestly think you can make a difference to the political scene and can wear a thick skin to jeers and criticism, especially from your own party. I will guarantee you nomination! How about that to boost your ego, morale and prospects of election?

I agree getting nomination is the first step, and getting elected is the real test. So what are your chances of being elected?  I am only generalizing here. It is pretty high and you do not have to spend a fortune either. There is a general inbuilt bias towards a young lady asking the public to vote for her. They look at her as being untainted by corruption, and least likely to be corrupt.

Whilst I agree that women participation in political office in Sri Lanka is miserably low. The women in politics are usually those who have come through a family background where the father or husband were local pols and using their goodwill to get elected. However I believe that the time is ripe for women to get into politics from simple backgrounds, but with a clear vision on what they can do to correct the current corrupt practices in all walks of life, and especially in the Sri Lankan govt. set up. It is our duty to highlight this fact and inspire women to seek public or elected office. They will definitely carry with them the goodwill of the electorate and first time candidates will automatically get a kick from the lack of a track record of corruption, which most of the candidates seeking reelection have.

It is time for all young women, even one voting for the first time at 18 to think of getting into elected office. You can even say that there is no one in the country representing the females in your age group and it is high time somebody stood up to being kicked around like a football. Insist on your rights on behalf of the youth of today, especially young women who woefully lack representation. Remember I told you so, as it is a closely guarded secret, they do not want you to know about. 

Youth must stick together, don’t start selfish ways at an early age. Achieve on merit not by preventing competition

I have noticed that Sri Lanka youth behave with a sense of entitlement that borders on the ‘not in my back yard syndrome’. For example the Medical Students of the Colombo University are the most vocal against the establishment of the Malabe Medical School. Now why is that? Do they fear competition? Is that the real reason because people who have money, but did not get the Z score from Colombo necessary to get into the Sri Lanka State University System have been enrolled.

After all many of the Medical Faculty lecturers moonlight at Malabe and a high proportion of students are offspring of doctors practicing in Sri Lanka and who have passed through the SL State Medical Schools. So it will be that many of the children of the students demonstrating against the Malabe School, will also enter Malabe as they did not get the grades to get into the SL State Medical Faculties.

So what is all this about? It is simply when you are on one side, the Free system, you do not want competition. Don’t forget they will also have to do the same exams foreign qualified doctors will have to sit, before they are able to practice in the SL medical field, anywhere, private or public. The beef is that it is a private for profit, BOI School. After all it was established by Dr Neville Fernando, who sold the Central Hospital on Horton Place to Softlogic Holdings for Billions.

The BOI concession is so that the equipment can be imported duty free. It is possible it may never make a profit to shareholders and like all not for profit hospitals everywhere, the surplus will be reinvested in the Medical School and the Hospital he is building to be attached to the school, which will have over 1,000 beds, and have facilities better than what the demonstrating students are fighting to close down. There are even some crazy MPs calling for it to be nationalized.

Whose property do they think it is? When a person uses his personal wealth and builds a University, or Medical School and conforms to the standards acceptable around the world, what right do others have to complain. After all hitherto, hundreds of students have gone to foreign universities, when they have not been able to get into the SL system, and qualified there and returned to Sri Lanka after sending billions of rupees out of Sri Lanka for their education. It is better if that money is spent in Sri Lanka and every extra state of the art hospital built here must add to the wealth and the health care options of the citizens of Sri Lanka.

The campaign to get a million signatures to order the closure of Malabe does not sound fair at all, as the opposition is from vested interests and not the public.

I use this example because it clearly demonstrates how selfish young people’s minds are when it comes to sharing opportunities. Another case in point comes from the Graduates in Physiotherapy. They want the School of Physiotherapy that has been established since 1957 and which offers a 2 year HND diploma course, to be closed down and be replaced by them into the Health Service commanding income in excess of double of that of the diploma holders.

OK the Diploma syllabus is outdated. So they must update it to the 21^st Century. As it is a diploma course, the entry requirements are less stringent, and the population drawn to follow those courses are less qualified. However they can turn out to be a much better physiotherapist than the degree holder who may have the knowledge in science that the diploma holder does, but the latter may actually fulfill the patients needs better, due to his skill. Physiotherapists fail to realize that in addition to the knowledge of the body, the art of providing physiotherapy is a huge skill, which the diploma holder may be better at.

In the end in the private sector no matter if the person has a qualification or not, his prestige is what gets carried by word of mouth and get him work. I was looking for a physiotherapist and had to check them all out and find someone suitable to fulfill my needs and that may not necessarily be a graduate. With graduates expecting to charge a higher fee, I have to think of my finances also. So I may opt for the lower priced one, as that is all I can afford. I must have the flexibility of choosing one to fit my pocket too!!

These examples clearly show that we do not want others in the same population to get ahead as we perceive we have a stake and want fewer entrants, that may devalue our position. I recommend young people not to prevent others from getting ahead, in their pursuit to improve their quality of life. There has to be space for everyone and the only way one can assure oneself of a gain, is you can be better than your competitors. That is acceptable when prevention is NOT.

The JVP is ideologically against Private Education and is thus pursuing a bankrupt theory that is not practical. I am advocating a meritocracy, where the market determines by practical ability and not by qualifications alone, reinforced by word of mouth in pursuing ones dreams. Do not prevent others from pursuing theirs. You just have to be the best, and not prevent someone else from getting there. Only then will you truly value yourself and your achievements without trampling others, and have nothing to fear as your pursuit of perfection is not at the expense of others. You will then achieve your personal goals and can be proud of your achievements, that have been earned fair and square and not by default.

In an unresolved dispute, don’t shout if older generation imposes their views

In all spheres, compromise is often the way to resolve differences. This holds true in marriage and business and other personal activities one engages in with other people. There can be disputes amongst neighbors over trees overhanging a property or of roots coming into the adjoining property cracking the foundation.

All these events have to be resolved amicably if we are to get along with people we may not necessarily like. It is very rare that we can get our way all the time. The ultimate test is in a marriage where a huge amount of tolerance, understanding and compromise is required between two parties for it to be successful.

It is a fact that young people often wish to impose their will, and when they do not get their own way start physically abusing or verbally scolding others. This is especially common in Sri Lanka. The young person does not realize that this behavior is actually counterproductive. It is best to calm down bite your tongue literally and go about your business and then you may see sense. So patience here is a virtue and patience is something learned from practice rather than something others can teach. It is important therefore that young people get sufficient practice in interacting with others, so they mature early to handle rough situations and instances where their anger is easily aroused. That is where sport is a great leveler and enabler of compromise, tactics and thinking.

Due to intransigence of youth, they somehow create a fight and then do not resolve the differences. It is left for an older person to settle the dispute. I believe it is time that the young person knows to resolve his own problems and not wait for an older person to come and impose solutions, because the youth have not been able to resolve them. It creates dissatisfaction, and in order to avoid matters coming to a head, it is always advisable for youth to know how to sort out their own affairs amicably or at least peaceably at the start.

In the Sri Lankan context, this dispute resolution by fighting, which then ends up being a brawl, and often in death is a habit that has to stop at some point. Often both parties in the brawl are incarcerated in the same jail cell by the local police, where they have to get on, and if not, will suffer further indignities in front of other remand prisoners, which is a face saving ploy for them to hold their fire!

Distrust often without any rational reason but possibly by gossip, which bears no basis in fact is at the heart of much of the fights of young people to achieve their objectives. It is best to try and resolve them by face to face calm resolutions, a tall order, but a worthwhile first effort in resolving disputes.

Youth do not realize they are the future until it is too late!

The perennial problem with youth today is that on the one hand they are impatient, but on the other they do not realize that it is them who are the future of the country and they must have a vision for the future if they are intent on taking ownership of it. They must not think that their rights will just fall onto their laps when they come of age. It just does not happen that way.

It is important that there is some method to inform them of how they can affect their future through activism now. They may feel that the world is run by older people and that they do not have power. However remember in most democracies the new voters are significant in number and they can actually make a difference to the result if they vote enmasse for a particular party. They can even change governments and administrations. It is therefore important that they know this, as often they cannot appreciate the power of their strength in numbers.

In the age when young people graduate from children, being dependent on parents to adults being responsible for themselves, first and their future later, it is best to galvanize their thought process and their focus to what is important to them. Then they can with commitment and numbers embark on a political process by joining a movement or political party, to achieve their objectives first as it pertains to youth, and later as it pertains to them and their families.

If one studies history and the biographies of statesmen, it is often an indication that they have shown their vision of the future in their early writings or campaigns, be it for student political office and other youth related project, be it in Environmental protection or education benefits that affect them now and in their future.

In order to instill in young people the responsibility they carry for their future, and that it will be of no use to blame the earlier generations for their predicament, there has to be a carefully tested method using real life examples of what is practical and doable. If as the heading implies, that ‘if they do not come clean now, it will be too late for them to make a difference’, it implies that there must be a long term plan beginning now for them to achieve their goals in life.

As part of leadership and empowerment, we would like them first to have a vision of the future. Then they can take that vision and try to make it happen in a practical way, that may include getting involved in politics, especially in Sri Lanka as it affects people’s livelihood, more than in most other countries. Change takes place in Sri Lanka with a lot of political backing or interference depending on your outlook, but it is political nevertheless, that can make a difference.

A Brilliant Pupil’s logical suicide – What do you make of this?

Taken from a very popularly read article in the Independent newspaper in the UK of 3^rd December 1998, which I believe is appropriate for young people to read in 2012. It does not try to judge, just report.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/brilliant-pupils-logical-suicide-1188778.html

A BRILLIANT schoolboy shot himself in the head after carefully calculating the benefits of life and deciding it was not worth living, an inquest was told yesterday.

Dario Iacoponi, 15, a pupil at the London Oratory in Fulham, west London, which is attended by Tony Blair's two sons, Euan, 14, and Nicky, 12, kept a diary of his philosophical thoughts on life in the two months leading up to his death. The Oratory is one of the top Roman Catholic schools in the country.

After weighing up the pros and cons, he decided to commit suicide and planned it meticulously. He taught himself to use his father's shotgun and worked out how to fire it with a wooden spoon. He then waited until neither of his parents was at home before carrying out the plan last month. Dr John Burton, the West London Coroner, said it was clearly a considered process and Dario "came down on the side of suicide". The inquest was told that the teenager was a brilliant pupil who had already passed six GCSEs at A* or A grades a year early. He played the violin and piano and was hoping to study law at Yale or Harvard.

But a darker side to his character emerged in diaries found by police. They spoke of his difficulties in coping with life, although there was little, or no mention, of any specific problem such as bullying.  Dario, an only child, was found by a 20-year-old lodger at the family's home in Ealing, west London. He had a shotgun by his side. His father, Pietro, a translator, was in Switzerland on business, and his mother, Saleni, a teacher, was at an amateur dramatics class.

Inspector Colin Nursey, who found five diaries covering the last year of Dario's life, said there was a reference in them contemplating suicide. "He would not leave a note, he was very specific about that," he said.

Neither parent was in court, but Nadia Taylor, a family friend for the past 15 years, told the inquest that Dario was "always a very sociable and very friendly person". She added: "We are all very shocked. It all came as a surprise to us that he felt this way." But Dr Burton said he could see no other conclusion than that Dario had taken his own life. "He has made it clear that he did so. That is the only verdict that I can return.

"He was quite stoical about it. He did not fear death. He decided on balance that life is not good and points out that the mathematics he has used are indisputable."

Dario's headmaster, John McIntosh, has said he was baffled and the school shocked. "He was an extremely able boy and he got on well with other pupils and his teachers and was extremely happy at school."

The Z score conundrum – what is taking so long?

As we all know the Head of the Department of Examinations, within the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission, had decided to pool the two syllabi of the A levels and issued the Z score based on the old and new syllabus being equivalent. So to simplify, a score of 89 in each amounted to the same for the purposes of calculating the Z score, which was issued on December 25^th 2011, even though one exam might be more difficult, involve a completely different scoring base than the other.

The resulting furor, and subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court, only came in a ruling on June 25^th 2012, which I consider an inordinate delay, when comparing and evaluating the issue at hand, and importance of the determination for over 300,000 students who may be affected.

Despite the recommendation of the Court, the UGC, the Govt. committee appointed to recommend a solution, has as yet, (July7th) not come up with a definitive decision. The students still do not know if they can or not enter the University, as their score has not been finalized. The mental anguish the young people in Sri Lanka must go through must be immense. The Govt. does not seem to care, as those in the decision making role do not appear to care!! Of course the President of Sri Lanka, included, as he is perfectly aware of the importance and urgency, but does not seem to have the power to come to a firm timely decision.

Education for a young person is their livelihood. A delay of over 6 months at this stage is tantamount to career change and chances missed. Just because politicians do not see the urgency does not mean there is NO urgency. The reputation of the Sri Lanka A levels has suffered irreparable damage, only giving a fillip to the private sector that does not take heed of the local A levels, and instead train their charges to international O and A levels, that now seem to be a better bet, especially if one is able to afford it.

We are seeing a separation of haves and have-nots in Sri Lanka, where the have-nots are further disadvantaged by this Z score fiasco. This leads to the private sector students gaining an upper hand. This Govt. is has completely failed to satisfy the basic requirements of the free education system and appear by its action or inaction to further erode free public education rights of Sri Lanka. Critics can argue that the Politicians are in the pocket of the private sector bent on destroying the credibility of the public sector.

Self Harm – ‘A growing trend among Youth’

A recent article in the Sunday Observer, (July 1^st in fact) written by   Nilma Dole, highlighted a problem, I have also noticed and was wondering about, and now it seems to make sense.

In addition to smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse, hitting or cutting oneself are all various degrees of self harm. It is the latter two I wish to highlight, as we are well aware of the former issues, which have been mentioned in this blog in earlier essays.

Apparently boys are more likely to hit themselves and women cut themselves. They are part of a system of externalizing of internal or mental pain they may suffer from. The best way to get to grips is first to identify there is a problem and try to find its root cause.

The parents are usually the last to acknowledge a problem, as they cannot believe their offspring can resort to such activity. However in Sri Lanka we appear to be very weak in reading depression and mental illness, and so are unable to see the external signs of this problem. Even worse, if parents go with their offspring to see a doctor, they usually insist on being present with the doctor, a wholly counterproductive exercise.

It is important that the consultation is done on a one on one basis with a medical practitioner, well versed enough in knowing what to do and who to recommend they see as a specialist. Parents usually are adamant it is not something that the specialist identifies as a problem, either because they themselves are in denial, or are also aware that they are partially to blame for this condition.

Often this problem can arise out of a feeling of low self esteem that can be caused by abuse, physical or sexual, either in the home or in school, that is internalized. Only a good counselor can get it out of the young person, before something is done about it. Many young people are embarrassed to be open about it or admit to the problem. Once identified, a good medical practitioner will be able to determine the mix of drugs and counseling that is required to hopefully cure the patient out of the problem. It is most important that the young person seek the guidance of someone they can completely trust. We must open up the communication links for young people to address their personal issues so they do not go in this direction.

The entry into politics for Youth is through the Opposition

If you are thinking of entering active politics in the future, and you have a clear goal as to where you want to go, I would recommend, especially for those with meager resources to come in through the Opposition. When a party is in the Opposition, they have less of a demand on their resources. A young person can more easily make a name for himself amongst his peers in the opposition as only those serious enough will be in that group of active members, be it in a youth organization or not.

One has a greater chance of making a name for oneself within the opposition as there will be too many people within the government, and favorites of the ruling coalition will grab all available places. This is not the case in the opposition. The numbers are fewer, the chances and greater and in time the opposition will form a government, and by that time those who join now will be able to be where the action is with the movers and shakers.

To achieve this you have to be sure of yourself and faith in being able to come to power. Once you build a name within your party as a hard worker, you will without doubt get nomination for the Pradeshiya Sabhas as they allocate a specific percentage of positions for youth. You can almost be guaranteed to get the ticket to contest, and often they have no members to fill the quota according to the age group currently set as 35 and under.

When you receive your ticket you will get the needed experience to contest and run a campaign. There will be an element of competition within the party, and this will toughen you for the road ahead and know exactly what is happening outside. You have time on your hands, and so defeat does not need to be taken as a reason to quit, but more as a reason to learn from the mistakes so that next time round, you will be able to do what it is you want with the campaign and know how you can play the game, as that is what it really is, a game of bluff and counter bluff.

The skill you put to your campaign and the initial number of votes you get generally allows you to contest next time with a base of people willing to help be it in kind or generally in cash. There are people willing to fund you. They can be called on to help and you just need to run a carefully planned campaign. It is the only real method through which one with few resources can build a base of youth and they will be with you as and when you are able to get to the next point of elected office, when fund raising becomes easier.

It is easier to cut your teeth into the game that is politics at an early stage, but also to keep a balance to ensure that you build a career that is other than politics. Otherwise you will be beholden to others or resort to crime to fund your way as many who have been down this road have done. It is important that you are able to consider yourself a man of principle and are willing to dedicate yourself to the people, and represent their interests first and foremost as a holder of elected office is a servant and representative of the people, not the other way round.

Never forget that during your whole political life. Service to your people and to your nation. Not the examples you see today.

The Fundamental Right to ‘Free Education’

The Leader of the Opposition, Ranil Wickremasinghe MP stated on Wednesday, 4^th July in Parliament that if an Amendment was introduced in Parliament, enshrining in the Constitution, the Right to Education as a Fundamental Right, that his party will support the Amendment.

It is significant that this extremely important statement received scant attention from the Government benches, perhaps because no one really understands that term, as most people in the Government appear to display ignorance or lack of schooling and will be put to shame if there are actually educated people around, thanks to this Fundamental Right.

I do not know the real reason, but either way, it is a landmark that the Youth of today must consider adopting as one of their goals in Sri Lanka. This amendment will then safeguard free education, at least till the A levels, and will be the responsibility of the Government in power to provide.

While Private Education will always thrive in a society that becomes increasingly prosperous, the right will still remain to ensure a basic standard of state education, free of charge until the A levels. The increasing trend to private education in the primary and secondary sector, to say nothing of the tertiary sector will reduce the pressure on the state system, and also release funds to improve its quality, by syllabus revision, lower class sizes and improved quality of teachers in the public sector.

I recommend that a ‘Youth Lobby’ be set up for at least lobbying the lawmakers to think about introducing and passing this amendment without delay. It will at a stroke, prevent the Govt. from taking arbitrary steps to reduce the value of free education, by providing fewer facilities both of quality teaching staff, of equipment and infrastructure to drive students away to private education.

In order to market this concept, one must highlight the current trend in education, which with the Z score fiasco, gives little confidence to students and parents about the quality and desirability of Public Education. It is important that in the amendment some basic quality standards are adhered to prevent students from falling behind and not completing their basic education, as it will impinge on their future, which they will not know of until it is too late. It is important that someone takes the initiative now.

Tell the Truth for God’s sake

Is this the first time or do I continue on this theme? If it is continuous it is because it is a topic that needs to be addressed time and time again, as lying especially by young people who are unable to account for their actions is a huge issue in 2012 Sri Lanka. Is it a problem all over the world? I am sure to a lesser degree, but young people in Sri Lanka believe it is a license to lie.

This lying culture especially by the youth who get routinely beaten up by the police because the answers given are lies and bald faced lies, it is important that something is done about it and addressed. In addition to lying, the SL culture is one that hates to say No to anything or cant and therefore there is an added cultural dimension to the lying. For example when people are invited to an event, even a dhana, they do not say they cannot come. So when they do not come it is either expected or not a surprise. So it is hard to know who will come when invited as no one likes to say no. They at least say they will try and come for at least a short while, when they mean they really have no chance of coming to the event.

I have this lying problem from well educated intellectuals, more than I get from poor or simple youth from villages who sometimes seem to have a better sense of truth and lies!! That I find is quite surprising, as it therefore is not an education issue, and is more a cultural thing, with people who try to keep up with the Joneses more likely to lie than those who have simple tastes and simple requirements.

I hope that we will be able to change this lying culture, but that can only be done through a project at schools for grade one and two to discourage them from lying.

This will then, along with practical aspects of saving the environment are all areas where youth can be taught a whole lot of things. In this blog, I will go on about adding to the list of primary teaching requirements so lying or telling the truth is top of the list, saving the environment, and preventing pollution is also top of the list, and along with the respect for the elders, that is also lost on youth. These are all timely requirements which can make a huge difference to the future of youth, in them being able to find employment and hold down jobs, both of which they find hard to do today.

I hope young people can look inward and stop lying to save their skin!