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| Sunday, 4 May 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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New study on development trends in the Central Province : Mixed bag of results for the region Health and living conditions in the Central Province have improved considerably in the past decade, but the province's economic progress continued to be slow despite substantial investment in entrepreneurial activity, a new study has revealed. The comprehensive study titled "Joint Initiative for Monitoring Development Trends in the Central Province" (JIMOD) has found that people of the Central Province today had better access to upgraded health facilities, quality treatment and medication. The province also witnessed improvements in its housing stock and sanitation facilities, while a majority of people owned or had easy access to telephone and communication facilities. But the study also found that the province's water supply was at high risk of contamination due to poor storage and bad preservation methods which gives rise to a number of water borne diseases. Increase The province's disease patterns were shifting from contagious diseases to lifestyle-related ones, such as heart disease. In the past decade, the Central Province has witnessed a drastic increase in those inflicted by diseases of development such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, the study reveals. Conducted through the Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA), the JIMOD study was jointly supported by the Government of the Netherlands and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, through the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ). Assistance was also provided by the GTZ-supported Poverty Impact Monitoring Unit (PIMU) and the Enterprise Service Systems Promotion (ESSP) Project Kandy. According to Dr. Nireka Weeratunge of CEPA, the JIMOD initiative was formed to bring together an alliance of government, bilateral, non-government and private sector organizations to facilitate a study of overall development trends in the central region. The study assessed the aggregate development progress of the region by focusing on six parameters - employment, income, education, health, living conditions and empowerment. "It was intended to provide a basis for initiating a dialogue among researchers, policy makers and project designers to understand socio-economic changes in the Central Province, as well as to respond to such change in both the planning and implementation of programmes/projects" said Dr. Weeratunge. Conditions Living conditions within the province also improved during the last decade. Housing, sanitation and access to electricity and water had generally improved. Around 79% of houses in the province had permanent walls, 65% permanent floors and 62% permanent roofing. Around 71% households had water-sealed or flush toilets. Around 73% of households had electricity. Around 54% of houses used pipe-borne water. Some changes in food consumption habits were also observed. While households predominantly ate a rice-based diet with vegetables, there was regular consumption of butter or margarine for breakfast, specially provided for children. Increased consumption of processed spices, noodles, chicken and sausages was noted, given that these were now available in close proximity to most people's homes. The outreach of the education system in the Central Province has been good. Educational outcomes, such as literacy have increased overall and school avoidance and drop-out rates have decreased. However, drop-out rates at the senior secondary level continue to be a problem in the province, while drop-out rates at the junior secondary level is a specific problem in the estate sector. The study found that the problem of the lack of basic facilities in many schools, as well as the quality of education, needed to be addressed. Although parents generally perceive the reform process positively, there is much to be done to raise awareness, train teaches in new concepts and methods of interactive teaching, and develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills, as well as creativity and innovation among students. Impact Efforts at empowerment in the Central Province have had an impact in social terms. People have learnt to come together for development related activities at the grass roots level, to express themselves to varying degrees, exchange ideas and know more about the affairs of the world. However, this has not necessarily resulted in empowerment in political and economic terms. By participating in community organizations, people have not yet learnt to ask for efficiency, transparency and accountability, the findings reveal. The study notes that empowerment efforts need to be incorporated into the education system so that capacities such as involvement in community affairs, vigilance over transparency and accountability of institutions meant to serve people, democratic decision making within households, gender equity and awareness of choices are nurtured at an early stage. There was considerable entrepreneurial activity in the Central province in the last decade. The highest density of enterprises per population is found to be in the Akurana DS division. Activity However, the study points out despite high entrepreneurial activity, the Central province has not experienced significant economic growth. The first half the 1990s was relatively favourable for enterprises and production and sales were high. But the end of the decade saw a downturn, primarily due to external economic factors, the devaluation of the rupee and increase in fuel prices, as well as the East Asian crisis, exacerbated by internal factors such as the intensifying war and political instability. The JMIOD study recommends the increase in employment and income to be a first priority for the Central Province. For this purpose, it needs to generate economic growth within the province by systematically attracting outside investment and supporting existing enterprises to prosper and motivate start-ups. It also suggests a greater integration of the province's economy with that of the Western Province, where the most dynamic economic growth is currently taking place. According to Dr. Volker Steigerwald, GTZ Programme Coordinator Regional Development, the German government through development cooperation will support this process in close partnership with the Ministry of Central Region Development. Guiding investments into sectors where the area has competitive as well as comparative advantages and growth potential in the future is essential - agro-processing, tourism and information technology are some of these areas with such potential. Concentrating investment in certain areas with growth prospects within the region is also necessary. The majority of households in the area are already moving out of traditional agriculture. This process needs to be encouraged and supported through generating alternative employment possibilities, he said. In terms of ethnicity, the study found that the Moors, who consist of a little over 9% of the Central Province's population, have performed best as a group in general well-being and development. Income is more equally distributed within this group, which has the highest median income in the province. As a group, the Moors also have the highest level of literacy and overall education attainment in the province, the study reveals. |
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