In the name of talent
Image from ‘Kolavari Sri lankan tuition song-By Risinu Gamlath’ video, courtesy Sirasa TV For a very long time now I have watched little children performing at children’s reality shows in Sri Lanka,…
Education
Who is a sex worker?
Image courtesy Global Press Journal Who is a sex worker? Is she an attractive woman with loose morals who is too lazy to find any ‘real’ work? Is she a young desperate…
Innovating Under Duress: Implications of the Global Innovation Index for Sri Lanka
Science writer Nalaka Gunawardene in conversation with Dr Ajith de Alwis, engineer and public intellectual Sri Lanka was ranked at No 98 among 142 countries worldwide in the Global Innovation Index 2013…
The Burning Questions
A stroll through the Public Library of Jaffna, and some reflections on knowledge, culture and the open space to question, create and dissent The sun burns the Jaffna peninsula. It devours every…
Cultivating a Partnership Culture of Compassion
Image from As we lament the brutish culture that has taken root in our lovely paradise, it is interesting to delve deeper at the underlying physiology, norms and values that promote war…
The Story of a Sri Lankan Constant
Have you ever observed Physicists? They are usually searching for constants, and separating them from variable quantities aren’t they? You must have heard of Plank’s constant, gravitational constant, the speed of light…
Exploring the ‘Chat Republic’: In conversation with Angelo Fernando
Angelo Fernando, in addition to being a long-standing columnist in the Lanka Monthly Digest (LMD) is also the author of a new book, Chat Republic: How Social Media Drives Us To Be…
Beyond Nostalgia: ‘Children of Olcott’ Must Revisit History
Review of: Mahinde Thamai Iskole (Mahinda is the School!) by Sundara Nihathamani de Mel (Suratha Publishers, Mt Lavinia, Sri Lanka; 220 pages; LKR 600 I have never been able to understand why…
Strengthening innovation in Sri Lanka: In conversation with Anushka Wijesinha
Anushka Wijesinha is a Research Economist at the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka and is one of the most prominent voices in Sri Lanka today championing innovation. We begin by…
Colonizing Childhood and Zionist Pedagogy: Interview With Prof. Nurit Peled-Elhanan
Nurit Peled-Elhanan is a professor of language and education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, peace educator and activist and co-laureate along with late Prof. Izzat Gazzawi of the 2001 Sakharov Prize…
The State of the Free Education System in Sri Lanka: Confessions of a Disgruntled Student
Image courtesy I am one of the 243,876 lucky students who sat for the Advanced Level Examinations in 2011. It has been almost one-and-a-half-years since then, and I received my university registration…
Updates on ground situation in Jaffna
After the violent unrest that started late November in Jaffna, (for photos and background, read has continuously received updates on the ground situation. In addition to forwarding these updates via email, we…
Challenges for a Sustainable Economic Development in Sri Lanka
Image courtesy Norwegian Embassy, Sri Lanka First of all, I would like to define sustainable development. According to the .” But it is important to go further in the definition: “.” This…
A Review of Quotas in University Admissions
Photo courtesy My good friend Somapala Gunadheera has made some thoughtful observations (, 10 Sept 2012) on the problems of University admissions, and noted that in my “ Tamil Language Rights in…
FUTA and Free Education in Sri Lanka: Question of Social Justice and Democracy in an Oligarchy
Photo courtesy The results of the so-called ‘mother’s examination’, or the year five scholarship examination of this year, have once again sturdily testified for the importance and significance of preservation and continuation…
