Compiled by Husna Inayathullah

Inter-school Milo Cup Netball tournament

The inaugural ceremony of the last stage of the Inter-school Milo Cup Netball Tournament commenced at the Matara Uyanwatta stadium under the patronage of the Minister of Education, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam recently. The Sports Advisor in the Ministry of Education, Sunil Jayaweera and Assistant Vice President of the Nestle Lanka Company Ltd, Bandula Egodage participated. The tournament was held for three days from July 30 to August 1.

Around 4,000 female players participated under 13,14,16 and 18 age categories for the last stage. The school netball tournament started in 1991 and has completed 25 years. The Silver Jubilee Tournament was held. This tournament has been organised by the Sri Lanka Netball Association in collaboration with the Nesle Lanka Company.

'Harry is done now'

J.K. Rowling confirmed the end of the Harry Potter series recently at the premiere of the latest play in London. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the eighth installment in the beloved series, will be the last. Rowling, 51, said: "He goes on a very big journey during these two plays and then, yeah, I think we're done. This is the next generation, you know and Harry is done now."

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike, picks up 19 years after the end of the original series, with a middle-aged Potter working in the Ministry of Magic and his son, Albus, entering the wizardry world for the first time.

Although the five-hour, two-part show is sold out until May 2017, fans can find out what happens to their favourite witches and wizards in the Cursed Child script book. However, the wizarding world is not over yet. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which flies into theatres in November, follows Newt Scamander, a magical zoologist and author of a Hogwarts textbook that bears the same name as the film played by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne. Rowling has also been known to give insight into the Harry Potter story through her Twitter page and Pottermore website.

Computer accessories and network maintenance program

A national level computer accessories and network maintenance program commenced in schools islandwide on August 2, organised by the Ministry of Education and Zonal and Provincial ICT Coordinating Officers. The program will continue until October.

The program was established with the aim of accomplishing the repair and maintenance requirements of the computer laboratories in schools for their sustainability even after the laps of warranty period.

The national level computer and accessories maintenance program was implemented from 2009, during the second term school vacation covering all districts in the country. The program is carried out as a 2 or 3 day workshops in each district.

All computers in schools that have to be repaired and could not be repaired by the zonal and provincial level software and networking solutions groups, are brought to the place of the workshop. The repairable computers and parts are converted to workable conditions. Technical committee recommendations will be given to schools through a board survey regarding the removal of all other computer accessories.

These workshops are held with the participation of teachers of hardware and networking solutions who have the expertise in maintenance of different sections.

New School Term

According to the Ministry of Education, the third school term will start on August 31. The date for the re-opening of schools used as evaluation centres for the G.C.E. (A/L) examination will be notified later.