Schools should not be categorised

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The importance of non-categorising national schools in the country on ethnic basis, to strengthen the unity among the younger generation who belong to various ethnic groups, was highlighted by the Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane last week.

He said schools should not be categorised as Sinhala, Tamil, Hindu or Muslim Vidyalayas. The children in all these schools are citizens of Sri Lanka and they should be treated as children of Mother Lanka,he said.

Addressing a school function attended by parents, teachers and children, Minister Gunawardane, recalled the bygone era when children in Southern and Northern schools could not meet one another for over three decades due to the conflict situation.

He said the younger generation throughout the country has now got a golden opportunity to mingle with each other due to the sacrifices made by the security forces. Minister Gunawardane speaking on the establishment of the `Youth Parliament' said that it was represented by the youth of all communities in the country.

The Minister said that as it was the Government's intention to promote ethnic harmony in the country, measures would be taken to conduct school based functions, cultural events and sports activities with the participation of all children, irrespective of their caste, creed and religion.

Famine in Somalia:

Over 29,000 children have died

Are you fussing about the food you have to eat and throwing away most of it? Then stop doing so right now because at this very moment a child may be dying in Somalia without food and water to drink. The severe drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under the age of five in the last three months, in southern Somalia alone, according to US estimates. The United Nations says 640,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished, suggesting the death toll of small children will rise.

Somalia's worst drought in 60 years has affected millions of people and we are all responsible in one way or another for this crisis situation. It is our careless actions throughout the past in polluting and destroying the environment and other factors that has led to global warming and extreme weather condition in many parts of the world today. The severe drought and famine is wreaking havoc in the Horn of Africa and Somalia is the worst affected.

The drought and famine crisis in East Africa is intensifying with more than 12 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya urgently in need of humanitarian assistance, and the numbers increasing daily.

The UN has declared famine in three additional areas in southern Somalia, bringing the total to five zones and more than 3.7 million people nationwide in crisis.

Near Dolo Ado in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, more than 115,000 Somali refugees reside in three camps with another 1,700 awaiting placement in transit centers.

Approximately, 88 per cent of the population at Kobe camp is below 18 according to UNHCR, with children under five showing the highest malnutrition rates.

Millangoda Raja:

Elephant with the longest tusks in Asia dies

Millangoda Raja, the elephant with the longest tusks in the Asian region and a famous tamed elephant of Sri Lanka passed away in Kegalle on August 3 after a brief illness .

The elephant was about 70 years old at the time of its death. Millangoda Raja participated in the Kandy Esala Perehera for nearly 40 years, and for 10 to 12 years he carried the Sacred Tooth Reli at the event.Raja's last appearance at the Kandy Esala Perehera was in 2008.The elephant has participated in several other temple and devala peraheras too befofre falling ill."We've been praying that he would get better so he could rejoin the perahera,"said his owner, Appuhami Millangoda.The elephant captured in 1945 at Nawagaththegama, Anamaduwa, was recorded as having the longest tusks in Asia. His tusks were 8 feet long.

Millangoda Raja had been among a herd of elephants Appuhami Millangoda and his friends had captured in north-west Sri Lanka in 1945. "The elephant was small compared with the others when we caught him - just four or five feet tall - and very cute," said his owner. The tusker was well respected by Buddhists of Sri Lanka and as his health deteriorated over the last 18 months, he was given funeral rites by a team of Buddhist monks. According to records Asian elephants are smaller in stature than their African cousins,and some fail to grow tusks at all. But Millangoda Raja's tusks were so long that they reached the ground.There are plans to stuff the dead elephant and put him on public display

.-R.J

Chutta and Mitta the story of two friends

A fascinating story about two great friends, a brown monkey named Chutta and its owner friend Mitta will keep you entertained and also teach you a valuable lesson about how to treat animals.

Chutta and Mitta is Sumana Saparamadu's latest book for children with creative and colourful illustrations by Sybil Wetthasinghe.