NCPA concerned about children not attending school

by Ananda KANNANGARA

The National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) has focused attention on children who do not attend school. A survey has revealed that children even refrain from doing the GCE (OL) Examination.According to the Education Department, every child is entitled to have the benefit of free education from Grade One onwards, but statistics reveal that a large number of children relinquish school education due to various reasons.

Research shows that children in low income groups and those who are isolated due to loss of parents are most likely to give up education and do not attend a school at all.

Meanwhile, it is reported that some children in the estate sector have either stopped their education half way or refrain from attending school at all. NCPA, Chairperson, Anoma Dissanayake told the Junior Observer that the Ministry has directed the authorities to carry out a survey on such children and look into the reason for their inability to attend school.

The NCPA chief also urged the public to extend their cooperation in this regard.

She also warned parents and urged them to encourage children to pursue their educational activities at a time when the Government has paved the way for every child to have his or her education free.

When children do not attend school or do not have a proper education, they end up with problems and will also be a burden to society.

The NCPA was concerned about children whose parents beg and live on pavements.

They do not attend school due to poverty and the authorities should take steps to rectify this situation.

It is also a common scene in Colombo to see women begging near bus stands and railway stations with children in their arms and the authorities should pay attention to such incidents and take remedial measures to rectify the situation.

Transporting schoolchildren comes under scrutiny

The Department of the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic has focused its attention on introducing a new set of rules and regulations to be followed when providing licences for those transporting passengers, Department sources said.

The Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, H.S. Kariyawasam said that the department is concerned about the high rate of accidents caused by drivers transporting passengers.

Meanwhile, according to the Private Transport Services Mininistry ,Minister of Private Transport Services C.B. Rathnayake says that a draft paper to regulate the transport of school children has been submitted to Cabinet.

According to minister C.B. Rathnayake, if the draft paper is accepted by the Cabinet, it will eventually lead to authorised drivers transporting school children in authorised vehicles. The draft paper also attempts to regulate prices charged by school van owners.Through this legislation , the number of motor accidents taking place in the country can be reduced, said the Minister.

[News in Brief]

by Rohana JAYALAL

National Railway Museum to be shifted

Sri Lanka Railway has planned to relocate the National Railway Museum at Kadugannawa in the Kandy district,Sri Lanka Railway sources said.

A project has been initiated to build a multi-faceted Railway Museum to mark the occasion of the completion of 150 years of railway service in Sri Lanka. A six acre plot of land has been identified for the new site and construction will commence with financial assistance from China.

Initially,Ambepussa, Kadugannawa and Ratmalana railway premises have been proposed as sites for the construction of the museum.The location of the museum was significant in road development of the island during colonial rule.

The National Railway Museum is situated at the old Colombo Terminus Railway Station in Maradana.The new facility is intended to bring all railway antiques spread across the country under one roof.

All types of old engines, locomotives, rail cars and trolleys used since the beginning of Sri Lanka Railway are to be displayed in the museum. Some of these are presently in the Sri Lanka Railway yards.The facility will also feature an airconditioned auditorium, souvenir shops, and restaurants.Plans are underway to inaugurate the new museum on December 27. The completed facility will be opened in 2014.

UDA to build 65,000 houses for shanty dwellers

Minister of Defence and Urban Development will vest the identified blocks of state land in 15 locations in the city of Colombo to be utilised for the purpose of constructing housing units for the under served people of the city of Colombo.

The Urban Development Authority has planned to build 65,000 housing units for resettlement of shanty dwellers living in under-served settlements in the city of Colombo.

It is expected to build high rise apartments with all common amenities to resettle the families and to free those sites for commercial and mixed development projects, in keeping with the City of Colombo Development Plan.

The Urban Development Authority has already awarded contracts to build 9,781 housing units under 11 projects within the city of Colombo, where the work is in progresse and expected to be completed within the next two years.

LED to illuminate fisheries harbours

The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has signed an agreement with Viper Networks, a U.S. based LED technology to commence a short-term pilot program as an initial requirement to install LED (Light emitting Diodes) to illuminate the fisheries harbours.

The pilot program will instal about 100 LED indoor lights and approximately one dozen street lights near the Ministry's administration building for a short trial test period of an estimated 30 - 90 day period.

The pilot programme was found successful LED technology will be used to illuminate the 18 existing harbors and 11 new harbors under construction with about 150 to 200 indoor lights and street lights for each location.

Sri Lanka gets 62nd position

The 2012 Global Food Security Index has ranked Sri Lanka in the 62nd position out of 105 countries.

The Global Food Security Index considers the core issues of affordability, availability, and quality across a set of 105 countries when ranking the countries. According to the Index, United States of America has been ranked number one while Congo is at the worst position at 105.

The index is reportedly a dynamic quantitative and qualitative scoring model, constructed from 25 unique indicators, that measures these drivers of food security across both developing and developed countries.

According to the Index India is ranked at 66 scoring ahead of Sri Lanka in the availability category but behind Sri Lanka.