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TODAY'S
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Teacher Unions oppose move tooth
and nail
Year 5
Scholarship exam made mandatory; teachers up in arms
The Education Ministry has made the Grade Five
Scholarship examination compulsory with immediate effect,
Examinations Commissioner General Anura Edirisinghe told The
Island yesterday. However, the government’s decision has run
into stiff opposition from teacher unions that want that
examination scrapped."This exam has placed much pressure
and burden on children and parents. That leads us
nowhere," General Secretary of the Ceylon Teacher
Service Union said. "This should be scrapped from the
education system step by step.
Full
story |
The passing out parade of the first ever foreign troops
trained by the Sri Lanka Army Commando parachutists took
place yesterday at the Ganemulla Commando Regimental
Headquarters. Chief Guest Commander, Maldivian National
Defence Force (MNDF), Major General Mohamed Zahir, pins
a medal on a Maldivian parachutist. Two Maldivian
officers and 20 from other ranks were trained by the
Training School of the Commando Regiment, in Ganemulla.
Pic
by Kamal Bogoda |
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| NEWS |
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Explosives detected
A major disaster was averted when naval
personnel, acting on a tip off, discovered 20 kilograms of
lethal C 4 Explosives, 23 Electric Detonators and two suicide
belts buried in sand at Kerawalapitiya, adjacent to the Colombo-Katunayake
Highway, which is under construction, Thursday night, a Navy
spokesman said.
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Transformer blasts cost CEB Rs.
20 mn
Five recent transformer blasts resulted in a
loss of Rs 20 million to the Ceylon Electricity Board, General
Manager of the CEB, D. R. Pulleperuma told The Island yesterday. The blast at the unmanned primary sub-station at
Mangalaeliya in Mundalam had disconnected electricity supplies
to around 1,500 consumers, he said.
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| FEATURES |
- Between the
Lines
Anxious time in Pakistan
I do not rule out rigging in the Pakistan
election. My belief is that the seats the Pakistan Muslim League
(Quide), the King's party, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement have
won are far more than their hold or stock in the country
suggests. The combined strength of the Pakistan People's Party
(87) and the Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League (66) is far less than
their popularity. The two should have got two-thirds majority in
the National Assembly while they have secured 153.
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| BUSINESS |
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CEB tariff proposals ‘pro rich,
anti-poor’
The Energy Forum criticised the proposed
electricity tariff of the CEB calling it a system which will
fatten the purse of the rich by emptying the pockets of the
poor.In a report titled ‘An Alternative Proposal to
the New Electricity Tariff Structure of the CEB’ the Energy
Forum agreed that the electricity tariff structure should be
revised if the CEB was to recover its losses but said the new
structure would hurt the lower and middle income groups more
than the affluent.
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SL financial markets insulated from
disturbances
Sri Lanka’s financial markets have been
insulated from the world economy disturbances that underscore
the need for good corporate governance, better risk management
and compliance in our financial industry. It is also important
for us to learn from the bitter lessons experienced by others as
our financial services industry too is tempted to provide low
quality credit which has been the root cause of the prime issue,
Deputy Governor Central Bank of Sri Lanka Dr. Ranee Jayamaha
said at a seminar on "Governance, Risk Management and Compliance
and the Road map for Financial Services Industry" held recently
in Colombo.
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| SPORTS |
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Keeper
Chandimal takes seven
Aussies eat humble pie
 Sri
Lanka’s varied spin attack, led by the left-arm spinner Navin
Kavikara, performed a slow strangle act that would have made
their senior team proud as they set up a five-wicket win against
Australia at the Penang Sports Club. They dismissed Australia
for 172 and Dilshan Munaweera helped them gun down the target
with more than 12 overs to spare. The victory put Sri Lanka on
top of Group C and set up a quarter-final clash against New
Zealand, while Australia will play Pakistan, the winners of
Group A.
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Batting crumbles
as SL suffer 24 run defeat
Sri Lanka’s woes with the bat during the
Commonwealth Bank Series continued, as the top order collapsed
yet again on a two paced wicket in a must win game against
Australia here at the MCG in Melbourne on Friday. A splendid effort by the bowlers saw Sri Lanka
reducing the hosts to just 184 for seven in 50 overs, but the
batsmen failed to show any fight and were reduced to 77 for four
in 29.3 overs before a heavy downpour forced an early end to the
game, declaring Australia the winners according to the
Duckworth/Lewis method.
More
Sports
 Sri
Lankan fans cheer up their team during the one day
international cricket match between Australia and Sri
Lanka at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia,
Friday, Feb. 22, 2008.
(AP
Photo/Andrew Brownbill)
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INSIDE
