Winner:

Educate street children

‘The child is the father of man’ an educationist said. Every child has a right to education. We talk about children’s rights, yet never dig deep into it.

There are many questions raised about children such as ‘Why do children lose the right to education, who are the children denied of this privilege? Why do they become school dropouts? Is there any remedy for this situation? Who is responsible for this and where do they go?’

There are many facts for the increase of street children in the island. Parental deaths, long-term illnesses, deprivation of love, insecurity and frustration among children are some of the causes. Sometimes children leave their homes and go in search of jobs. Such children from broken homes have no aim or ambition in life. Migrating to the city without a purpose causes deprivation of education of children. This situation is going from bad to worse.

We must give a helping hand to these children and protect them.

Nijma Zuhair,
Grade 11,
Sacred Heart Convent,
Galle.

Winner:

My pet

My pet is a dog. Its name is Sudu. It has a long tail and a small pair of eyes.

Sudu has a brown and white smooth coat of fur. It likes to eat meat. It wags its tail when we give it food. Sudu likes to play with me.

I love Sudu very much.

Gardiniya Weerakkody,
Grade 2C,
Ku/Holy Family Balika MV,
Kurunegala.

Winner:

Heroine of the children’s world

A true heroine of the children’s world is Malala Yousafzai. She was born on July 12, 1997. She is from Pakistan. She fought against injustice.

The BBC telecast her life under Taliban rule. On October 9, 2012 Taliban gunmen shot at her while she was returning home from school. Her condition improved and she was sent to Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham, England. After she recovered she started her struggle again.

She won the National Youth Peace Prize. She was the first Pakistan girl to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

W.A. Pasindu Anjana Weerakkody,
Grade 5A,
Royal International School,
Kurunegala.

Winner:

My hobby

My hobby is reading. I enjoy reading books and magazines. I like to read story books such as fairy tales and real stories.

The Cinderella fairy tale is a fascinating story. Reading improves my knowledge of English.

There is a saying, “Reading maketh a full man.”

Mohammed Farook Shahnas Begum,
Grade 6K,
Muslim Madya Maha Vidyalayam,
Sammanthurai.

Winner:

Newspapers entertain and enlighten us

Newspapers are found all over the world. They are published in many languages even in Sri Lanka. They do an important job to all the people. Newspapers in Sri Lanka are published in many languages such as English, Sinhala and Tamil. Sinhala papers sell more because the population of the Sinhalese is very large in Sri Lanka. Tamil papers are read by Tamils and English papers by many citizens.

Lake House was the first organisation of newspapers which published the Dinamina. It also published the Sunday Observer the oldest English newspaper. Upali newspapers is another group which publishes The Island, Wijeya newspapers publish the Daily Mirror. Express newspapers publish Veerakesari.

Newspapers are published daily or weekly. The Daily Mirror, Daily News and The Island are daily newspapers. Sunday Observer, Sunday Times and Sunday Island are weekly papers. A daily newspaper usually cost Rs. 30 and a weekly newspaper usually costs Rs. 60 because it has more features, pages and advertisements.

We get to know the latest news through newspapers. They give us pictures of many events. We can sell old newspapers, for a nominal sum like Rs. 15 per kilogram. Newspapers give us knowledge about many subjects such as politics, history, geography and astronomy.

What we read in newspapers are permanent. We can keep the paper cuttings for future reference.I like reading all newspapers but my favourite is the Sunday Observer.

Kavithi Fernando,
Grade 6C,
Lyceum International School,
Panadura.

If you feel for me

Don’t let me go
Over the blue sky
Don’t let me go
After the sunset
If you feel for me
Please be kind to me
Don’t make me bad
As a naughty girl
Don’t make me bad
To make my future dark
If you feel for me
Just help me
Don’t leave me alone
In this unknown world
Don’t make me lonely
I’m just an orphan girl
If you feel for me
Just love me.

Shamanga Chamathnee Sooriarachchi,
Grade 9E,
Yasodara Vidyalaya,
Colombo 8.

Let’s protect the environment

The environment is the surroundings we live in. Humans and animals obtain different benefits from the environment such as food, water and air. Population is increasing day by day, therefore, humans need to grow more food using a lot of water. There is less rain and as a result, we face long droughts. We also experience floods that devastate life and property. Therefore, we must remember that we cannot live without the environment.

It is our duty to protect and care for the environment without polluting it. Taking good care of the environment is the responsibility of each and everyone of us. The relationship between man and nature may be a complex one, but one thing is certain that all living beings depend on the environment.

Some people think that the environment is just the air that we breathe or the waterways from which we obtain our drinking water. However, the environment is much more than air and water. The environment includes the entire surroundings, natural resources, plants, animals, the soil, air, sea, waterways, forests and everything that we depend on for our growth and existence.

The environment is a part and parcel of our daily life. If we destroy it, we will not live happily. All of us should remember how the tsunami affected us.

Natural disasters such as floods, earthslips, wildfires and severe droughts can occur at any time. If we do not pay attention to the preservation of the environment, we will be compelled to pay a heavy price for our negligence.

Fionima Saparamadu,
Grade 9,
Holy Family Convent,
Bambalapitiya.

Rocky treasures

Gemmology is the science of precious rocks. The intense heat and pressure deep under the surface of the earth can transform the most ordinary minerals into extraordinary, beautiful and rare gemstones.

Sri Lanka has as many as 120 different kinds of gemstones. The most famous of which is the blue sapphire, says gemmologist Ajith Siriwardena.

“Gemmologists have a scientific approach to gems,” says Pascal Algier, a French gemmologist who worked in Sri Lanka for 15 years. They identify gemstones by testing their hardness, lustre and chemical composition in the laboratories.

A gemmologist uses instruments such as microscopes and refractometers to examine the colour and clarity of a gemstone. Professionals such as lapidarists and appraisers will help see the gemstone on its way to a jewellery store where a gem can end up on a ring or as a part of a necklace.

S. Vinoj Kumar,
Grade 11 A,
KM/STR/Sri Korakkar Tamil Maha Vidyalayam,
Ampara.

Leisure time

People spend leisure time in various ways. We should spend our leisure time in a meaningful and fruitful manner.

We can get pleasure by admiring the beauty of nature. We can gain knowledge by reading books and newspapers in libraries. We can spend our leisure time in many more ways such as watching cartoons, collecting feathers and gardening.

In school during leisure time we can crack jokes with our friends, write small poems, read books in the library and chat with our friends.

N.B Fathima Shimara,
Grade 7A,
Oxford International College,
Dummaladeniya, Warakapola.

Reading improves our creative skills

Reading is important and useful. It gives us knowledge. We get pleasure by reading story books. We can read novels, short stories, fairy tales, magazines, biographies and newspapers.

Reading also improves our creative skills. It inculcates us many valuable qualities and improves our thinking ability. We can get reading material from libraries. If we practise reading from childhood, we will reach our targets easily.

Sir Francis Bacon said, 'Reading maketh a full man.' Maxim Gorky once said, “A Good book is a very good friend for a man and it is a good guidance for a successful life.”

At present the habit of reading is declining among school children due to tuition classes,

television and surfing the Internet.

Reading can be improved among Children by conducting debates, literary associations, essay and speech competitions. We can win the world if we make reading one of our habits.

Amanda Nethmeni Narasinghe,
Grade 8,
KU/President Girls’ College,
Kurunegala.