Obtain receipts for donations to schools - Minister Bandula Gunawardane

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Malpractices and acts of corruption taking place in connection with school admissions especially for Year One in certain Government schools has once again come into focus with the year drawing to an end and parents clamouring to admit their children to schools for 2012. The Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardane expressing concern over this situation has stressed the need to monitor the situation closely as according to Government regulations, school authorities cannot ask for any form of donations from parents when admitting their children to schools.

He pointed that some school authorities are still in the habit of demanding large donations from parents and this must be stopped immediately.

The Minister said such donations to develop the school should be made by parents voluntarily and no pressure should be brought upon them to do so as it is against Government regulations.

He told the Junior Observer that in the event any parent made such a donation, the school authorities must issue a receipt to the parents acknowledging such payments. He stressed the importance of schools maintaing proper accounts for all financial transaction in order to ensure transparency of income .

Minister Gunawardane advised parents to obtain official receipts for any form of financial donation made to schools for the welfare of the school to prevent such malpractices in the future.

A senior official of the Ministry said that demanding such donations is a punishable ofence and called upon school authorities to refrain from resorting to such acts.

Islamic New Year Muharram

The Islamic new year Muharram begins on the first day of Muharram of the Islamic month (Sunday November 27, 2011, Hijri 1433). Muslims of Sri Lanka will herald the Islamic New Year on this day which commemorates an important page in Islamic history. It is the day on which Hazarath Seyyedina Imam Hussain (RA) the grandson of Prophet Muhammed (Sal) faced martyrdom in Karbala in Iraq.

To the true Muslim, death is like entering the peace and brightness of the home after the stress and strain of the three stormy nights and just like we shed our coat in the hall, the soul casts off its physical part at death’s doorway, before entering its eternal home, to reap reward or punishment promised by the best of judges (Kh’air-ul-Hakimin) on our conduct (A’,mal) in this world.May mercy and blessings of Allah be ever with the Seyyedina Imam Hussain (RA) and his brave, but tattered regiment, and may their fearlessness be a beacon to the Muslims. We pray that Muslims all over the world will rejoice in peace and prosperity during the Islamic New Year.

Let our fervent prayer on this day of Muharram be for peace, harmony, tolerance, understanding and brotherhood.We also pray for blessings to our motherland for peace and prosperity in the Islamic New Year.

The Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the Borella Ahadiyya School has organised an Islamic New Year celebration today in Colombo at 4.00 p.m. The SLBC Muslim Service will broadcast live the proceedings from 4.30 p.m. onwards.

Text and pic: Ruzaik Farook

Net casting spider found

At a time when many species of fauna and flora are threatened with extinction the discovery of new species in our little island nation is of great significance. Recently environmentalists reported the discovery of many new animals including the white langur and now there are reports of a new species of spider that has been found in the southern part of the country.According to environmentalist Malaka M. Bopage the new species of spider which belongs to the class Deinopedae and genus Deinois has been spotted in the country for the first time. It is said to be a net casting spider which throws a net, like a fisherman, to catch its prey.

A similar spider was spotted in India way back in 1978 but no other country in the South Asian region has reported of such a species says the Bio Diversity Education and Research Society of Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, environmentalists, Bopage and Vishan Pushpamal claim that two species of amphibians believed to have become extinct in the country have been discovered in the Kanneliya Forest Reserve recently.

The Kanneliya Forest Reserve hosts a number of plants and animals endemic to our country and is part of the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya or KDN forest complex which was designated a biosphere by the UNESCO in 2004.

It is one of the most floristically rich areas in South Asia. It is 35 k northwest of Galle.