Two seismic stations are expected to be established in Sri Lanka under a tripartite (three-party) cooperation agreement between the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry, Disaster Management and Human Rights Ministry and Helmholtz Centre, Postdam (GFZ - German Research Centre for Geosciences). Cabinet approval has already been granted to the memorandum in this regard, submitted by Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka and Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe.

GFZ has expressed its willingness to establish two seismometers in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka already has a broad-band seismograph in Pallekele.

The new stations are expected to augment and enhance the capability of that station and also to enhance seismic monitoring of the entire Indian Ocean region.

This will enable the Government to issue early tsunami warnings through the Department of Meteorology, which acts as the focal point for issuing early warnings regarding tsunamis.

Indonesia also saw the establishment of a tsunami early warning system with German assistance, within the framework of the Inter-governmental Coordination Group of Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning Systems. This system is flexible and decentralised and is open for all interested partners, donors and UN agencies.

The German Federal Minister for Education and Research announced that Germany is prepared to make a substantial conceptual, technological, financial and capacity building contribution to a future tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean, at the UN World Disaster Conference in Kobe, Japan in January 2005.

US biologists say they've verified the predictive powers of amphibians, whose moist permeable(ability to pass things through) skins make them susceptible (vulnerable) to slight environmental changes.

Scientists have long suspected amphibians are good bell-wethers (those setting patterns/trends) for impending alterations in biodiversity during rapid climate change. The new University of California-Santa Barbara global study of species turnover among amphibians and birds has confirmed that belief.

"Our study supports the role of amphibians as 'canaries in the coal mine,' " said Lauren Buckley, a postdoctoral fellow at the university's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis.

"Amphibians are likely to be the first to respond to environmental changes and their responses can forecast how other species will respond”. If the environment changes rapidly as one travels from one location to another, the amphibian and bird communities also change rapidly. However, amphibians change more quickly than birds.

-UPI
 

The Education Ministry has decided to introduce a special school evaluation process which is to be carried out from next year.

It would be introduced in schools throughout the country with the intention of improving the quality of both learning and teaching inside the classroom.

The objectives of the project are to have a common evaluation process for teaching and learning at all schools, to push all schools to complete the designated sections of the syllabus in the same way at the same time and to combine the school-based evaluations with school term tests.

The process had been carried out in schools in selected areas as a pilot project from the beginning of this year. The term test procedure was carried out during the first term in the Western and Wayamba Provinces, and during the second term in the Western, Wayamba, Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.

Six subjects were selected from Grades 6, 7, 10 and 11 where syllabus reforms had been effected. Examination papers were designed to specific standards under the guidance of officers from the Examinations Department, National Institute of Education and Education Ministry. For the first and second terms of this year, the papers were printed by the Ministry.

During the third term, the combined examination is expected to be carried out in Grades 6, 7 and 10 in all nine provinces of the country. The prepared exam papers in CD form will be distributed to provincial education departments, which would carry out the exams in the respective provinces.

This new evaluation process would be carried out from Grades 6 to 11 for the main subjects, throughout the three terms from next year. The required funds and the provision of record books for all students have already been planned.

The Education Ministry has also issued instructions for schools to complete the promotion of students to higher grades before the commencement of holidays and to issue exam timetables accordingly.

Many agriculture and irrigation projects have been carried out in the country over the past few years. One of the latest is the Radavibadi Ella reservoir, which had been built by constructing a dam across the Deduru Oya.

This project is expected to bring over 25,000 hectares of land under paddy cultivation during both Yala and Maha seasons, and provide drinking water to people of the dry zone in the Kurunegala district.Farmers of Nikaweratiya, Karuwalagaswewa, Galgamuwa, Maho, Ambanpola, Anamaduwa and Kobeygane areas are expected to benefit from this reservoir.

The construction work of Radavibadi Ella, which is expected to be in the region of Rs. 6,200 million, would be completed before 2010.

The Wayamba Agricultural Ministry has decided to grow fruit and vegetables along the bank of the reservoir to meet the shortage of these necessities in this area.

You may remember the article on the Bellanwila Rajamaha Vihara which we had carried on our Heritage Splendour page some time ago.

This internationally known temple is one of the holiest Buddhist sites situated on the outskirts of Colombo and is mostly famous for its sacred bo tree, the beautiful paintings as well as its devala.

Now there is news about some development activities to do with this temple. Cabinet approval has been granted to a project to construct internal roads (within the premises) and a block of toilets.

The two projects are estimated to cost around Rs. 8 million and Rs. 3.4 million respectively. The task of carrying out these projects would be assigned to the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation.

So, next time you visit this temple, which has a history going back over 2,000 years, to the Anuradhapura period, check out these new developments.

The National Institute of Language Education and Education, established in terms of the National Language and Training Institute Act No. 26 of 2007, was opened at Galewatte, Agalawatte recently.

Many programmes have been drawn up with the objectives of producing competent teachers for the teaching of Sinhala, Tamil and English, producing interpreters of national languages and providing services to ensure language rights in the State sector.