Violence on the increase among schoolchildren

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardane called upon school teachers and parents to pay more attention towards the behaviour of children in addition to their normal school educational activities, as there is an escalation of violent behaviour among schoolchildren.

The Minister made this request following the recent incident which occurred at Rambukkana where a 13-year-old schoolboy M.C. Damitha Madushan of Rambukkana Parakrama Vidyalaya was killed on the spot after another boy had struck him on his head with a heavy stone while going home after school.

The incident occurred following a quarrel which erupted between these students over a minor issue during school.

Minister Gunawardane said it is the duty of parents to educate children about the importance of good behaviour and inculcate moral values and principles in them. He urged both parents and teachers to encourage children to participate more in religious and other extra curricular activities.

"These are very important to motivate children and teach them how to behave in society in unity and harmony,".

China's ageing population grows

In the next five years the number of people in China over 60 will jump from 178 million to 221 million -- 13.3 per cent to 16 per cent of the population -- according to the People's Daily Online By 2050, a quarter of China's population will be over 65, the Commission for Population and Family Planning said, compared to just nine per cent today.

Already, half of China's over-60s live alone, a situation unthinkable before, when four generations would live under one roof.The upside-down pyramid -- whereby a single child shoulders responsibility for two parents and four grandparents -- is a major headache for the government, particularly as unemployment rises, forcing more and more people to migrate to cities for work.

Liang Zhongtang, a demographer involved in family planning, said the pressure would grow as Chinese born between 1962 and 1972 retire.

"Nearly 30 million babies were born each year during that period, compared to six or seven million each year right now" he said.

'Baby 7 billion' marked worldwide

Most of you may be aware by now that the world population had reached the 7 billion mark. Going buy United Nations estimates, the world population was expected to reach the milestone by end of October this year so many countries around the world marked this day with special ceremonies to welcome the 7 billionth baby.Even in Sri Lanka a special event was organised by theUnited Nations Fund for Population Activities ( UNFPA ) under the patronage of the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, at the Castle Street Women's Hospital in Borella. Baby Muthumani was born to 23 year old Danushika Dilani at 12.01a.m on October 31.Baby Muthumani's parents, Danushika and Ishara Madushanka were given a Rs 50,000 cheque by the People's Bank and gift packs by the UNFPA.

Even though many countries around the world marked the milestone, the Philippines was the first country to proclaim the seven-billionth baby.

It was a baby girl named Danica May Camacho who was born just two minutes before midnight on October 30 in a Manila maternity hospital.

This tiny wrinkled girl born at Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital into a struggling Manila family soon became a symbol of the world's population reaching 7 billion.BabyDanica May Camacho, was welcomed with a chocolate cake marked "7B Philippines" and a gift certificate for free shoes.

Even though it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the globe's 7 billionth occupant amid the millions of births and deaths around the world each day, the U.N. chose October 31 to mark the day with a string of festivities worldwide, and a series of symbolic 7-billionth babies being born.

Danica was the first, arriving at Manila's at two minutes before midnight Sunday" but doctors say that was close enough to count for a Monday birthday.

"She looks so lovely," the mother, Camille Galura, whispered as she cradled the 2.5-kilo (5.5-pound) baby, who was born about a month premature.

Meanwhile our closest neighbour India which has the second highest population in the world with China taking the first place, too marked this great event .

The child rights organisation, Plan India celebrated the birth of a girl in Uttar Pradesh as the world's symbolic 7 billionth person. The organisation described 'Baby 7 Billion' as a milestone for comprehensive action for survival rights of girls.

In an event held outside Lucknow, the capital of India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, the newborn girl was given a birth certificate by the local administration.

Baby7Billion girl was born at 7.20 am India time to Vinita (23) and Ajay (25) at a community health centre in Mall near Lucknow in India's state of Uttar Pradesh. She has been named "Nargis" - a beautiful flower. Nargis was born a healthy baby and weighed nearly 3 kgs (6lbs 60z).

The U.N. estimates the world population will reach 8 billion by 2025 and 10 billion by 2083.

But the numbers could vary widely, depending on life expectancy, access to birth control, infant mortality rates and other factors.Meanwhile, China, which at 1.34 billion people is the world's most populous nation, said it would stand by its one-child policy, a set of restrictions launched three decades ago limiting most urban families to one child and most rural families to two.