How do we make this country ‘paradise’ again?

 There are many areas that need addressing if Sri Lanka is to succeed 

– Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

Education

Start medium of education from primary school in a recognised global language which was used in Ceylon. Have common schools for all citizens and eliminate all language/ethnic based schools. This will create harmony and solve many problems such as ethnic/religious strife. 

Have the second language as Sinhala/Tamil as a language of choice. Offer volunteers from high quality English speaking countries to teach English to teachers by offering free board and lodging in sponsor homes or pay an allowance for them to find their own board and lodging. There were many English teacher volunteers in the past sponsored by England and the USA. There are excellent teachers of English now in India.

Encourage private schools, vocational schools, trade schools. Offer the less fortunate bursaries to pay for education up to 13 years of schooling sponsored by the Government of Sri Lanka, similar to Mahapola. Offer bursaries to students qualifying Advanced Level to enter universities/higher education institutes of their choice through banks loans at 4% interest to be paid back in 60 months after graduation as done in developed countries. This will reduce the burden on all citizens of the country paying for free education of approximately 400,000 students in the university system, to have student marches for various demands inclusive of accommodation, State employment disrupting free movement of citizens and loss to economy. 

Education is of prime importance in governance. There is no need to open more State universities. Offer opportunity for those in employment/Parliament to obtain higher education such as Open University. GoSL could offer loans through State banks to be paid within three years after graduation. We need literate/educated citizens. Boasting about 98% literacy has not taken country anywhere since

Independence

Have all examinations of this country conducted by the Ministry of Education/Department of Examination to enable all Students to have the same level of education from State and private education institutes. The same can be done for BSc, MBBS and other graduate examinations. London GCE OL/AL is conducted all over the world by one institution same day based on a common education system/syllabus. This will reduce brain drain drastically.

E-learning to be started with wide screens and broadband Wi-Fi facility installed in OL/AL classes in all State schools that have a science medium. This will enable all schools to have syllabus transferred electronically to enable all schools/teachers/students to cover the same syllabus on the same day. This will discourage tuition as school curriculum will be available on-line for reference. Subsidised laptops be made available to students through State banks. Bangladesh has started a system to make English and IT mandatory subjects from year 8 for all students from 2020 – a pet project of the Prime Minister to make Bangladesh IT competent equal to India within five years. BPO industry is taken seriously by Government.

Agriculture/food production

The country can be made self-sufficient in rice, vegetables and other staple food if farmers are given a State guaranteed price to maintain a stable price to consumer during season and off season as done in USA/Japan. Permit imports only of food that cannot be grown locally as required by hospitality industry. Import higher quality seeds from developed countries that give better yield. Paddy plants of Japan are hardly 18 in/45 cm in height. Yield is 10 times more than this country. Chemical fertiliser/weedicides/pesticides are hardly used as the Japanese eat their vegetables raw. It is not more land to be cultivated but improve productivity. Emphasise on increase yield and reduce land utilisation. 

Ladies’ fingers of this country are grandmothers’ fingers, so over mature. There is no okra. Same with beans, long beans good for taking bean seeds, luffa (watakolu) so mature they are good for making bath scrub. Farmers should be educated to harvest vegetables at the correct time. 

People should be encouraged to have green salad of vegetables which will make cooking very much quicker. Before doing this import of chemical pesticides should be banned. A family known to me had a large fish tank. They used to feed fish with kankung kept dipped in water for an hour and rinsed with running water before feeding fish. They went out of country instructing security to follow practice. When they came back fish were dead. Checked CCTV to find security took a short cut in washing kankung. Kangkung was poisoned with pesticides. This the green leaf that is being eaten by citizens of this country

Encourage production of vegetable protein and milk with technology/advice from Japan/China/USA that produce high quality textured vegetable protein TVP and milk. This will help in reduction of pollution and undue utilisation of agriculture land by cattle farms. TVP has more food value than meat. TVP cakes produced in this country are overcooked compared to Japan/China and other countries. 

Provide low cost loan facilities to super market chains/farmer co-operatives to have cold storage facilities to store produce during high season and release to market during off season at stable price 365 days of the year. There is no necessity to give chemical fertiliser/pesticides free. Farmers will use fertiliser of their choice that will be healthy to plants as well as consumers to save billions of USD spent on import of chemical fertiliser/pesticides, thereby having a healthier nation. Chemical fertiliser/pesticide mafia has to be controlled. Farmers are interested in getting a profitable price for their product year round not fertiliser/pesticide free. Practice Public Liability Act as in USA. PL 480 came to this country from US as PL. 

Make it mandatory for provincial councils, municipal councils, urban councils to have production facilities to convert garbage to compost. This will stop garbage pileup around country

Rapid industrialisation

There is plenty of funds in the local banking system. Lend Rs. 50,000 upward to small industry involved in import substitution or export at 4% interest by GoSL through State banks on a guarantee that they will double the value of earnings within 12 months. By this method country will benefit many times over in foreign exchange saving/earnings repaying the lending with a 100% return on investment within 12 months and a massive capital gain for State. 

Follow what was done during the 200 Garment Factory Program to make export of garments to be the largest foreign exchange earning industry within a few months. All companies benefiting from this scheme to publish in print media, employment statistics and earnings to prevent malpractice of the incentive scheme. Same facility could be given to food processing industry to replace imported processed food with local processed food. Stop import of low quality canned fish. There is no shortage of clothing in this country. We have the best dressed public in comparison to neighbouring countries

Housing

Housing was a big issue when Singapore/Korea was developing. Same is an issue in China, India and neighbours. Korea/Singapore solved its housing issues by rapid construction of five floor walk-up apartments. Now they have high rise apartment complexes. This country needs to build 2/3/4/5 floor housing complexes in rural areas and plantations. This country builds 25 houses on 300-400 perches or 2/3 acres of land to settle 25 families. A 40 perch block of land is all that is required to settle 20 families in five floor walk-up apartment block saving 200-300 perches for agriculture or 12-15 perches of land per family to grow their need of vegetables as home gardens. 

Government could build and hand over to residents on a low interest hire purchase scheme as done in Bambalapitiya/Torrington/Maligawatte/Hantana/Elvitigala Flats which were iconic structures copied by other developing countries. Most State land in Colombo and suburbs is occupied by squatters with no sanitation facilities. UDA/Megapolis is on correct track but progress is slow.

Health/nutrition

Health and nutrition has to be improved. It is not bigger and better hospitals or free healthcare that are required. We need a healthy nation. Every person discharged from hospital must be given an invoice for them to be aware their health cost to all citizens of the country. Nutritious food is required. It is seen to a great extent in the rural population. Girls and boys of 18 /19 are five feet in height and weight 40 KGs or less. It’s not a glass of milk that is required. A good balanced meal is required. A good supplement such as Triposha/Samaposha with clean water will be a good balanced meal. 

There is no clean water or sanitation facilities in a majority of schools in rural areas. Even USA/Singapore/Japan have a school meal program. I was at a forum in a developing country recently. There I met the FAO and UNICEF resident representatives in that country. I observed the younger generation of that country having a better physique than 18-20-year-old kids of Lanka. The FAO guy told me in Sri Lanka babies are given rise congee with no protein in it. They add chicken liver to the congee in this country. When they suggested it in Lanka there was a big issue as chicken liver is expensive as well as most are vegetarian. They have suggested addition of soya protein. Soya protein is also imported and expensive. Best solution is Samaposha/Triposha congee. GoSL must provide Samaposha/Triposha free to pregnant mothers and babies up to 24 months if Sri Lanka is to have a healthy population.

According to 2016 Statics of Department of Health, the number visiting OPD was 53 m or 145,000 a day. If a lottery ticket of Rs. 10 is bought by those who are willing to purchase, a draw can be held daily and a prize of Rs. 50,000 can be awarded daily. This will give a revenue to Department of Health to maintain a better health service.

Judiciary

According to statistics it takes an average of seven to 10 years to conclude a Court case in Lanka. There are plenty of attorneys in the country. Courts could work double shift from 9-2 and 2-7. Additional staff and magistrates could be appointed very easily.

Tourism

Tourism can be the biggest foreign exchange earner if the Government takes a back seat and allows market forces to propagate, advertise and market. The world revolves on technology and online bookings is the name of the game. If accommodation or food quality is not up to mark, they can move to a better places. Soft alcohol, beer and wine should be available to be served to foreigners above 18 years of age in foreign currency at these places sans permits.