WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM

COVID-19Suwasariya Ambulance

Service 1990

� Telephone 0114354854, 0114733600 � Hotline 0113456200-4

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PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL TASK FORCE FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES

COVID-19 CASES IN

THE WORLD

TOTAL CASES

8,168,261DEATHS

440,524RECOVERD

4,265,483

CASES DEATHSUSA 2,188,392 118,496 BRAZIL 891,896 44,148 RUSSIA 545,458 7,284 INDIA 347,821 10,015UK 298,136 41,969533

DEATHS

11RECOVERED

1,371

ACTIVE CASES TOTAL CASES

1,915 � Quarantine Unit

0112 112 705

� Epidemiology Unit 0112 695 112

� Govt. coronavirus hotline 0113071073

Health Promotion

Bureau 1999

For verified information on the coronavirus (Covid-19) contact any of the following authorities

THE ABOVE STATISTICS ARE CONFIRMED UP UNTIL 10.30 P.M. ON 16 JUNE 2020 SOURCE: HEALTH PROMOTION BUREAU

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SEE FULL STORIES ON PAGE 2

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The Ministry of Education is to reconsider the date set for the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) Examination after consulting students, teachers, and principals after schools reopen on 6 July.

Secretary to the Ministry of Education N.H.M. Chithrananda yesterday (16) said that he is to consider the request made by Minister of Education Dullas Alahapperuma to consider the concerns raised by affected parties, given that the dates for reopening schools were delayed.

Dates to be reconsidered: Education Ministry

Day-care centres will be reopened from 1 July, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs announced.

Secretary to the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs Neil Bandara Hapuhinna said that day-care centres have been instructed to follow the health guidelines introduced by the Health Ministry when they resume activities.

The guidelines have already been directed to all day-care centres across the country. However, Hapuhinna has said the decision to reopen preschools is yet to be taken. According to reports, preschools may resume activities after the conclusion of the general election scheduled for 5 August.

Day-care centres to reopen on 1 July

TARIFFS IN ELECTRICITY BILLS

Following the bitter incidents of the previous protest, members of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) once again staged a protest for their cause against police brutality et al. in Colombo yesterday (16)

PHOTO PRADEEP DAMBARAGE

Taking to the streets!

BY MAHEESHA MUDUGAMUWA

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has recorded over 800 complaints from consumers pertaining to issues regarding electricity bills issued within the past five months.

Speaking to The Morning, PUCSL Director of Corporate Communications Jayanat Herat said around 600 complaints have been recorded after the quarantine period with regard to the electricity bills of that period.

Around 90% of these complaints were pertaining to the issuance of estimated bills by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), he said.

“When we receive complaints, we investigate them and provide solutions. A majority of those complaints have already been solved,” he added.

Herath further said that the rate of complaints received by the PUCSL has increased after the introduction of the online system, adding that the general public can also lodge complaints via WhatsApp or Viber on 077 0126253.

Electricity consumers from certain areas have alleged that they have been overcharged after the Covid-19 curfew was lifted. However, Minister of Power and Energy Mahinda Amaraweera said that they would only be paying for the units consumers used during the curfew.

Amaraweera assured that electricity consumers would not be charged any additional amount, considering the difficulties already faced by them due to the pandemic.

Nevertheless, energy consumers allege that they have been overcharged with the inclusion of additional unit charges incurred as a result of combining the March and April bills.

Over 800 complaints to PUCSL

z Over 600 complaints made after Covid-19 lockdown

z Consumers complain about bills during last five months

BY SKANDHA GUNASEKARA

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) said they have begun a protest against the Government’s failure to pay certain allowances of employees engaged in health services.

GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Naveen Soyza told The Morning that the Extra Duty Allowance for doctors has not been paid.

“The Extra Duty Allowance

is part of the monthly salary and that has not been paid. We have taken action by tying black bands on our arms as a sign of protest against the injustice,” he said.

He further said that if the matter isn’t resolved, further trade union action would be taken.

“We will discuss on Thursday (20) as to what additional measures we will take if the problem isn’t addressed,” Dr. Soyza said.

Meanwhile, Government Spokesman and former State Minister of Investment Promot ion Kehel iya Rambukwella said the Government would attend to the matter.

“This is most likely an administrative error due to the Covid-19 outbreak and its fallout. This issue will be rectified as soon as possible,” Rambukwella said, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic is a new hurdle for departments such as administration and accounts to overcome.

FAILURE TO PAY ALLOWANCES

Doctors launch protest campaignzLooking into the matter: Govt.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) yesterday (16) appointed a committee to formulate a solution pertaining to the issue of unlicensed leasing companies.

CBSL Governor Prof. W.D. Lakshman said that he has appointed a committee headed by Hariguptha Rohanadeera.

“A three-member committee was appointed by me to look into resolving this matter of unlicensed leasing companies operating in the country.

Mr. Hariguptha will head the committee along with two officials of the Central Bank,” Prof. Lakshman said.

Contd. on page 2

CBSL appoints three-member committee

QUITTING COVID-19 DUTIES

Public health inspectors (PHIs) are to take a decision on whether to quit from Covid-10-related duties next week.

PHI’s Union of Sri Lanka (PHIUSL) President Upul Rohana told The Morning that PHIs were to take a decision yesterday (16), but after a discussion held with relevant authorities and individuals including Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi, the union decided to postpone the trade union action until next week.

“The authorities promised to provide us a solution by the end of this week and we are waiting till they meet our demands. Should they fail, the PHIs will quit from Covid-19-related activities,” he said.

Contd. on page 2

PHIs to decide next weekz Govt. assures resolution of issues

AG INFORMS SPECIAL HIGH COURT

The Attorney General (AG) has been informed by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) that former Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Arjuna Mahendran, who is currently wanted over the controversial Central Bank Treasury Bond Scam, has changed his name to “Harjan Alexander”.

The AG has informed the Special High Court of Mahendran’s name

change when the Bond Scam case was taken up before Justices Sampath Wijeakoon, Sampath Wijeratne, and Champa Janaki Rajaratne last morning (16).

Representing the AG, Deputy Solicitor General Parinda Ranasinghe has informed the court that Interpol has reported that the first defendant of the case, the former CBSL Governor, has legally changed his name to “Harjan Alexander”.

When the AG had inquired the Singaporean (AG) if the extradition papers of Mahendran needed to be amended accordingly, the AG Department of Singapore had informed that there was no such need.

The Deputy Solicitor General has told the court that it will be informed, should there be any amendment needed with regard to the case.

Furthermore, informing the court that the 10th defendant in the case, Ajahn Gardiye Punchihewa, currently resides in Singapore, the Deputy Solicitor General has requested for a reissuance of notice to appear before the court.

Accordingly, the Special High Court has reissued notices on Punchihewa.

The case is to be taken again on 17 November.

Interpol informs AG of Mahendran’s name changez Arjuna Mahendran has changed name to ‘Harjan Alexander’

GCE A/L EXAMINATION

zFinal decision after schools reopen

UMA OYA PROJECT

A group of 85 Iranian technicians arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday (15) to complete the final phase of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project (UOMDP), the President’s Media Division (PMD) announced.

The technicians have been subjected to PCR tests and will undergo a 14-day quarantine procedure before commencing the technical work.

Contd. on page 2

Iranian technicians for final phase

The Colombo Additional Magistrate has yesterday (16) issued warrants to arrest members of the Edirisinghe family over the Edirisinghe Trust Investments (ETI) case.

The court has issued arrest warrants on four directors of the ETI.

The warrants, which were issued over their failure to appear in court despite notice being served, were issued on Jeevaka Edirisinghe, Nalaka Edirisinghe, Asanka Edirisinghe, and Deepa Edirisinghe.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has already appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) to probe the alleged irregularities concerning ETI Finance Ltd.

Arrest warrants on Edirisinghe family members

ETI CASE

INCREASING PHARMACEUTICAL PRICES

The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) warned of strict actions against pharmaceutical companies that increase the prices of drugs by exploiting the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country.

NMRA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Kamal

Jayasinghe told The Morning that legal action has already been taken against certain companies which had increased the prices without the knowledge of the authority.

The prices of drugs are being evaluated by the NMRA’s pricing committee.

For companies to increase the prices, they have to obtain the authority’s approval, Dr. Jayasinghe said, adding that there was no need of increasing drug prices in the market as the market was not affected even due to Covid-19.

Contd. on page 2

NMRA warns of legal action

The printing of ballot papers of five districts for the 2020 general election has been concluded and handed over to the Election Commission (EC), the Department of

Government Printing noted.Government Printer Gangani

Liyanage has said that ballot papers of four more districts will be forwarded to the EC within the next two days.

Accordingly, bal lot papers of the Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale, Jaffna, and Kilinochchi Dis t r ic ts have been submitted to the EC.

2020 GENERAL ELECTION

Ballot printing of 5 districts concluded

Postal voting is to be held from 14-17 July, the Election Commission (EC) announced.

The EC said that those who are unable to vote on these dates could vote on

20 and 21 July.The general election is to be

held on 5 August.

EC decides postal voting dates

NTC LAUNCHES HOTLINE

The National Transport Commission (NTC) says that commuters could lodge complaints against buses that transport passengers exceeding the number of seats available.

NTC Director General Nilan Miranda said the relevant complaints can be made via the Commission’s hotline 1955.

Contd. on page 2

Complaints on violations by busesz Buses transporting passengers

exceeding seat numbers

UNLICENSED LEASING COMPANIES

the morningWednesday, June 17, 2020

2 INTERVIEW/NEWS

Cartoon of the day

2020 GENERAL ELECTION

BY AGRA RANASINGHE

While some parties are of the view that “sooner the general election is held, the better”, some other parties are carrying opposing views, questioning if the present environment is conducive for the impending general election. With the strict restrictions on campaigning, the Government is at advantage of utilising state media for its propaganda, alleges Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) candidate Ajith P. Perera.

Below are excerpts from the interview with The Morning.

With the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, what difficulties would you face while campaigning? Are you happy with the scheduled date of 5 August?

Not at all. It’s very difficult to campaign and people are afraid to come out. The restrictions on campaigning have become a problem as well. I’m contesting in the Kalutara District and I have about 935,000 voters. I have to

canvass all of them, which is difficult to do. Only the people who are financially stable can contest these polls and they will use electronic media easily to promote them. This in turn will affect democracy as well as the independence and fairness of the election process.

How would you ensure the safety of the public while campaigning and holding meetings?

It’s very difficult to ensure the safety of the public because there’s no proper way to do it.

The Government says that you wanted to get back with the United National Party (UNP) and contest together. Is this true? Do you have doubts about contesting alone without the elephant symbol?

That’s not true. We don’t want to get back with the UNP and there are no discussions between us. We have over 99% of the votes and there’s no need for us to join with them. We have credible professionals, senior politicians, and young and dynamic candidates.

Some politicians say that the split in the UNP following Sajith Premadasa forming a separate alliance will benefit other parties. How do you respond to this?

In a short-term view, one can say that, but in a long-term view, having a new alliance led by Sajith Premadasa

without Ranil Wickramasinghe and Ravi Karunanayake will give us the credibility to create a better opposition.

With the restrictions on campaigning, how will the new contestants get their message across to the people?

All our grassroots-level campaigners are facing difficulties in contesting. People are still worried about the virus and they are not participating in all grassroots-level meetings; I think none of the parties are able to hold meetings.

With the restrictions on campaigning, will the opposition parties be at disadvantage because the Government is using state media for its election propaganda?

That’s what we are talking and complaining about. Anyway, we look forward to seeing what happens.

Only rich candidates can contest these polls:

AJITH P. PERERA

Contd. from page 1

Upon the proposal made by Senior Deputy Inspector General Deshabandu Tennakoon, the Keselwatta Police together with the community police unit and environmental police yesterday (16) disinfected Kanapathy Hindu Ladies’ College at Bandaranayake Mawatha

PHOTOS ESHAN DASANAYAKA

Mass disinfection continues!

PHOTO SAMAN ABESIRIWARDANA

The Central Bank should get its act together and implement government policies to revive the economy, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told top officials of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) today.

“If you don’t want to implement the Government’s economic policy, then please put forth your action plan to revive the economy by tomorrow,” the President said.

“We can’t let the health crisis develop into an economic crisis; the lack of initiatives to revive the economy is appalling and I will not allow the Central Bank to shirk their duties,” he added.

The President said that central banks in other countries have already initiated programmes to boost their economies.

“We requested the Central Bank

to release Rs. 150 billion to banks in order to help the business community. This will increase money circulation. The CBSL has failed to comprehend what the Government is trying to achieve. This is simple economics,” he told officials.

President Rajapaksa further said the Central Bank should also take accountability over the collapse of many finance companies, adding that it has failed to regulate finance and leasing companies in the country.

President cracks whip on Central Bank officials

CBSL...He said the committee is to submit

a report with its recommendations.“The committee will hand over a

report within about two weeks’ time on their views and observations on how to tackle this problem,” the CBSL Governor said.

Last week, Sri Lanka Self-Employed Professionals’ National Three-Wheeler Federation Chairman Sunil Jayawardana was allegedly beaten to death by the leasing mafia.

– Skandha Gunasekara

PHIs to...The demands made by PHIs were to

include the gazette of health guidelines issued by health authorities in the Quarantine Act (Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance) and to ensure PHIs are vested with powers under the Act to take action against those who violate the Act.

PHIs last month warned trade union action on several demands including giving more powers to them. However, they withdrew the trade union action after a discussion held with Ministry officials.

Speaking to The Morning, PHIUSL Treasurer D.Y.S.R.R. Mudalige stressed that it is difficult to take some legal action under the Quarantine Act for those who violate Covid-19 guidelines due to the lack of powers given to them.

“At present, we are somehow taking legal action against those who violate the guidelines under different laws. But under the Quarantine Act, PHIs do not have powers to take legal action,” he

stressed, pointing out that therefore the issues are being raised when filing cases directly under the Quarantine Act.

– Maheesha Mudugamuwa

NMRA...“We have taken steps to control

any drug shortage, and with the introduction of the Waiver of Registration (WOR), the authority manages to control the shortage of sanitiser, PCR kits, and masks in the country,” Dr. Jayasinghe said.

The WOR was applicable only for certain materials and not for drugs, he stressed. However, the NMRA has taken a decision to remove the waiver with effect from 26 June.

“Every company has to be registered with the NMRA and only those that illegally smuggle drugs to Sri Lanka are not registered with the NMRA. Since there is no shortage of masks, sanitiser, or PCR kits at present, there is no necessity to apply for a Waiver of Registration,” he explained.

The NMRA CEO reiterated that the authority had not taken any decision to increase drug prices due to the Covid-19 situation.

– Maheesha Mudugamuwa

Iranian...According to the PMD, 95% of the

project has been completed so far.The project is to add 120 MW to the

national grid following its completion.

Complaints...Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the

Government imposed a new rule where

buses cannot transport passengers over the number of seats available.

However, Miranda has said that there are many reports of buses violating this regulation.

Day-care...Meanwhile, schools are to reopen

in four stages from 29 June onwards, following the temporary closure due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dates to be...“We need to allow the students

sitting the examination to voice their concerns and ask them whether they need more time to prepare for the exam. It is a right the students should be granted at a time as this. When we set the date previously, we left about a 60-day period from the commencement of schools,” Alahapperuma noted.

Alahapperuma also noted that there are also concerns over some schools not covering the syllabus for the A/L streams which could pose a challenge to the children who are to face the examination in the coming months. Therefore, a considerable amount of time is to be given after consulting the teachers and students.

“I assure that Ministry of Education officials will gather the comments and then discuss with Department of Examinations officials to announce a suitable date for the A/L exam within a week of the school recommencement on 6 July,” Chithrananda added.

The date for the A/L Examination was set to 7 September previously.

businessthe morningWednesday, June 17, 2020 3

BY UWIN LUGODA

HCL Technologies (HCL), an Indian multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company that is currently on the Forbes “Global 2,000” list, has become Sri Lanka’s first foreign direct investment (FDI) since the Covid-19 outbreak in the country in March.

According to HCL Corporate Vice President Srimathi Shivashankar, the company is set to invest $ 10 million in the coming years as capital expenditure, limiting its use towards IT equipment, training, and leasing needs. In an online media briefing held yesterday (16), she stated that the company will also look at hiring around 5,000 people in the next three to five years, with the first 1,500 being hired in the next 18 months.

HCL plans to create these new local employment opportunities for both freshers and experienced professionals. Shivashankar stated that a key part of HCL’s business and development strategy in Sri Lanka will be to use a local talent pool for global assignments.

“We are very excited as our operations

have already started in the region and we are looking forward to hiring and engaging with the highly skilled and talented people of Sri Lanka, while bringing them the opportunity of working with a global technology company to their doorstep, without them having to move out of their own country. Our delivery centre in Sri Lanka will play an important role to serve our Fortune 500 and Global 2,000 clients and partners throughout the globe,” she said.

HCL’s commencement of operations in Sri Lanka began in February 2020, when they joined hands with the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka. HCL Technologies Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd. also marked the presence of the company’s first delivery centre in the region. HCL is set to provide services to global clients in the areas of applications and system integration services and infrastructure services.

During the online event, BOI Chairman Susantha Ratnayake stated that this was a significant step in the direction of the vision HCL has set out to build its global

delivery centre in Sri Lanka. He went on to state that he was hopeful that HCL will be able to create employment opportunities

for the people of the country and that people of Sri Lanka will have access to the global work environment in their own country.

“We are extremely happy that HCL has come to Sri Lanka. This will broaden the horizons of young people, because they will get to work with an international company with the best-in-class systems and processes and open up Sri Lanka for the 250 of the Fortune 500 and 650 of the Global 2,000 companies,

which are HCL’s customers,” he noted.HCL Technologies is a subsidiary of HCL

Enterprise and currently has offices in 44 countries, including the UK, the US, France, and Germany with a worldwide network of research and development, “innovation labs” and “delivery centres”, and around 147,123 employees. As of 31 March this year, HCL has consolidated revenue of $ 9.94 billion.

Sri Lanka gets first post-Covid FDI creating 1,500 jobs

HCL Corporate Vice President Srimathi Shivashankar

Pan Asia Bank has become the proud recipient of the $ 7.75 million (approximately Rs. 1.5 billion) Green Bond launched by Switzerland-based Symbiotics, the leading market access platform for impact investing.

The bond is the first Green Bond issued via Symbiotics-sponsored bond issuance platform (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Bonds S.A.) since it’s Sustainability, Social, and Green Bond Framework was certified in December 2019 by DNV GL.

The Green Bond proceeds are in the forms of a four-year, senior unsecured, local currency loan to Pan Asia Bank, and the main investor is Skandinaviska Enskilda Bank (SEB), the leading Nordic banking group.

Being awarded this bond at such a turbulent time in the global economy is a testament

to the trust and confidence Symbiotics and SEB have placed in Pan Asia Bank and its commitment to green financing. It is also an indicator of the confidence global players have in the bright economic prospects of Sri Lanka, Pan Asia Bank said.

Commenting on this initiative, Pan Asia Bank Director/CEO Nimal Tillekeratne said: “It is indeed an honour to be chosen to partner with Symbiotics in this novel and unique venture to champion the ‘green’ cause further in Sri Lanka. Pan Asia Bank has always demonstrated its commitment to further the sustainability cause in Sri Lanka through initiatives such as green lending through its Social and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) policy, the appointment of green champions, and investments made

in its staff by providing training on green lending. With these funds, we will focus our attention on promoting indigenous

crops that will also support the Sri Lankan Government’s initiatives to become self-sufficient through strengthening sustainable agricultural practices. We are proud to lead the local banking industry when it comes to the worthy and important cause of sustainability.”

Symbiotics, commenting on the arrangement with Pan Asia Bank, said: “This Green Bond is a confirmation of Symbiotics’ strategy to make sustainability, social, and green bonds accessible for smaller issuances in emerging and frontier markets. The issuance of this Green Bond is fully aligned to our mission to foster sustainable development in emerging and frontier economies, and we are excited to nurture and grow this segment of the MSME

market even further.”Committed to adding value to its vast SME

base of customers, Pan Asia Bank will be utilising these funds to support and promote local agriculture with special emphasis on encouraging the use of indigenous seeds, sustainable agriculture, use of renewable energy, and energy efficiency projects. Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector is in urgent need of adopting sustainable practices and the bank is at the forefront of green financing in the country, having won the prestigious Global Climate Partnership Award in 2019 for its green lending efforts.

Prospective clients who wish to apply for funding for renewable and energy efficiency projects can visit any of the bank branches or call the hotline 011 4667222.

Pan Asia first to receive Symbiotics’ $ 7.75 m Green Bond

AIA Insurance announced that it ramped up its digitisation, analytics, and robotic process automation (RPA)-based efforts during this Covid-19 crisis in order to ensure a superior service to customers even while AIA’s staff were working from home. These solutions are tactical and being industrialised for the long term. The unprecedented crisis has put significant strain on the insurance industry, especially on the sales, recruitment, and service processes. With the sudden halt in travel, customer visits, and face-to-face meetings, the service had to go digital. In this backdrop, the challenges faced by many companies have been significant as a new norm emerges.

AIA CEO Nikhil Advani said: “It is imperative that we respond with innovation, agility, and effectiveness in situations such as these. Yes, we are facing a crisis like nothing we’ve dealt with before, but our promise to our customers remains unchanged. AIA is very well capitalised, able to meet any claims, and ready to help our customers while continuing to provide superlative service. We understand that now more than ever, people need to be financially secure and protect their loved ones.

“Customers switched to digital purchasing, payments, and other transactions very quickly. We needed to be agile and support them. We invested massively in training our wealth planners, implemented an online sales process, and (introduced) e-submission of applications for insurance and service requests, so customers can start planning

for their insurance needs without any delay from the comfort of their own homes. We also provided telemedicine services to all our customers from leading telemedicine provider oDoc, so they can easily access doctors and get their prescriptions delivered during curfew.”

AIA Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Umeshi de Fonseka added: “AIA responded fast to keep the business moving while introducing new digital solutions for our employees and customers. It’s all about leveraging technology at the right time to support the entire organisation in achieving the right objectives. For example, we had a remarkably smooth transitioning from our standard way of working to working from home for all functions. Call centre functions continued to operate as usual, even though the volume of calls increased. This was only possible because we had the right collaboration tools and infrastructure in place and have frequent business continuity simulations as a standard business practice.

“Even though our offices were closed, our process automation bots and other automated functions continue to work round the clock. The most mundane tasks are handled by these bots and this has increased accuracy and efficiency of the processes. We were the first and continue to be the only insurer in the industry to have aggressively embraced this technology. Backed by the experience of AIA Group, we also have world-class technology governance and security tools

which enables us to carry out our business in a fast and secure way.”

AIA Director and Chief Officer of Legal, Governance, and Operations Chathuri Munaweera explained: “The introduction of contactless collections was intended at ensuring the convenience, health, and safety of our customers. We offer many platforms such as payment gateways, Quick Pay, MCash, EzyCash, and the Genie app, so customers can conveniently make payments from their homes. Our fully automated and integrated IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system to the inbound call care centre empowers customers to find out details about their policies quickly and makes the customer experience easier and faster. We are delighted to see more customers transitioning to self-service options due to ease of use and convenience. Within a matter of days, we were able to digitise our physical policy issuance and underwriting processes to enable our distribution to continue to do business even through the curfew.”

AIA Director of Human Resources commented: “We have adapted to a new norm where employees need to be connected to work, without having to physically be at work. Having facilitated the technology and the infrastructure for working from home and supported by a world-class human resource management system, employees can easily access all relevant information from home. We retrained our managers and staff to operate in a remote environment and how to use technology to drive teamwork, productivity, and synergy.”

AIA Insurance adapts to new normal through technology

As a way of saying “thank you” to Sri Lanka’s courageous healthcare workers, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts is offering 1,000 complimentary full board holiday packages for two nights at nine of its properties in Sri Lanka. Packages will be distributed based on the nominations received from the Ministry of Health and will be valid for use from 1 July to 30 September 2020.

Nominees will be able to select from nine hotels in Sri Lanka which includes Cinnamon Grand, Colombo; Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo; Cinnamon Red, Colombo; Cinnamon Bey, Beruwala; Cinnamon Wild, Yala; Cinnamon Lodge, Habarana; Cinnamon Citadel, Kandy; Habarana Village by Cinnamon; and Trinco Blu by Cinnamon.

John Keells Group Chairman Krishan Balendra stated: “As a responsible corporate citizen, John Keells Holdings has pledged to care for the nation’s people and communities through the practise of our core values: care, trust, and integrity. Offering

complimentary holiday packages is a form of giving back and showing appreciation for all their hard work done to keep us safe.”

Positioned as a hotel chain at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts comprises 15 hotels and resorts across Sri Lanka and the Maldives that cater to the interests and requisites of the modern traveller.

Cinnamon offers 1,000 holiday packages to health workers

John Keells Group Chairman Krishan Balendra presenting the Cinnamon Travel Pledge to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

The President in conversation with Balendra and Minister of Health Pavithra Wanniarachchi

the morningWednesday, June 17, 2020

4

brunch

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder that

can affect up to 18% of women of reproductive age. Its exact cause is still unknown. However, there could be a genetic and an environmental cause to it. Some women with this condition experience infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or

excess male hormone (androgen) levels. The ovaries may develop numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) and fail to regularly release eggs. This is visualised on an ultrasound scan. It’s usually diagnosed when you experience at least two of the following signs:Irregular periods – infrequent,

irregular, or prolonged

menstrual cycles are the most common sign of PCOS. For example, you might have fewer than nine periods a year, more than 35 days between periods, and abnormally heavy periods

Excess androgen – elevated levels of androgen may result in physical signs, such as excess facial and body hair (hirsutism), and occasionally, severe acne

and male-pattern baldnessPolycystic ovaries – your ovaries

might be enlarged and might contain follicles that surround the eggs. As a result, the ovaries might fail to function regularly

Your doctor will advise you on treatment options to reduce the risk of the long-term complications associated with it.

Aa doctorASK Dr. Dineshani

Hettiarachchi MBBS, MSc Regenerative Medicine, MCGP, SEDA (UK). Dr. Hettiarachchi is a family physician and a lecturer at the Department of Anatomy and Human Genetics Unit, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Colombo. Email Dr. Hettiarachchi on dineshani@anat.cmb.ac.lk if you have any more questions you’d like answered here.

ANSWERED BY

I’m 22 years old and I have irregular menstrual periods. My doctor

suggested I might be having PCOS. What does it mean?

Q

BY DIMITHRI WIJESINGHE

“Who Sampled Who” is a series of live video streaming sessions hosted by Tareeq Musafer, and the third session of the series is set to air on Wednesday, 24 June at 9 p.m. on Facebook.

The series explores the use of sampling, unearthing old vinyl records that have been used as samples in contemporary music. The records that Tareeq uses are from his own personal archives – a most impressive vinyl collection.

Tareeq, who is also a DJ, uses only vinyl records in his mixes. According to him, he is likely the only one to do so in Sri Lanka and one of the few left in the world who exclusively uses Vinyl, which he himself does not recommend as he only plays selective gigs. It is alright, he said, but it is quite cumbersome compared to how one box can carry six records whereas a pen drive can accommodate about 10,000 songs.

The Morning Brunch spoke to Tareeq about the intricacies of music sampling, his love for vinyl, and the resurgence it has experienced in the past decade.

SamplingTareeq shared that while today’s

music – that is music from the early 90s to the contemporary works – feature a lot of “samples” from older music such as music from the 60s funk era and the 70s rock era, samples are little excerpts, melody sections, or drum rolls which are percussion rolls taken from old music or records introduced into a new production in a creative way.

You can identify this being a big phenomenon in the early to late 90s, particularly due to the state of copyright laws at the time. Then, as things progressed, older artists started to realise this trend.

These new productions proved to be catchy, with evoking feelings of nostalgia being highly popular, and generating some real income for new artists.

He shared some examples like Snoop Dog’s first single from his debut album What’s My Name which featured samples and interpolations from George Clinton's Atomic Dog in its chorus and throughout, and an interpolation from Parliament's Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker) in its bridge.

There was a lot of influence from Hindi music, considering how the West has developed a fascination with the East, and they would often sample eastern music coupled with the new productions and so music of that nature is often used in the mainstream because these works appeal to a massive cross section.

DJ’s are getting bigTareeq also stated that right now, the

electronic music scene – that is EDM – is very popular and people tend to hear a lot

of it here in Sri Lanka as well. But back in the 70s and 80s, DJs did not command audiences like they do today in music festivals like “Tomorrowland”; those eras were highly dominated by the bands and the current trends with big names like skrillex, Armin Van Buuren, and Carl Cox, and these guys also produce a lot for their own music.

The reason for the emergence of this new era is that due to the accessibility of electronic music, these productions can be done in your home studio off a laptop and a small rig of equipment. He said that you often even get local guys who produce their own music as well, and in creating this music sampling is something that you do.

When you listen to an old classical piece, you get influences from that. Now, with the technology being readily available, you can play around with that material; there are recognisable parts in these classical pieces and you can utilise them to fit today’s vibe.

Legality and copyrightWhen sampling, a less talked about

issue is the legality of using another’s work and Tareeq said that whether you are using one bar, four beats, or an entire verse, the new artist owes royalties to the original creator if you are using it for commercial purposes.

He said that in Sri Lanka, since the scene is so small, if a DJ here releases a track through an underground label, unless it becomes massively commercial overseas, you won’t be cracked down on it. But globally, it is highly regulated, distribution is highly policed, and when you take someone else’s work, then you must rightfully contact the original copyright holder and obtain their permission or pay what’s due.

An example in Sri Lanka is, if you are going to sample a Victor Rathnayake song, you must definitely contact the Maharaja Label and acquire those rights.

While these measures in place to protect the artists’ sampling are not inherently evil, it is one of those ways that creates impactful moments in music. “You can keep listening to Dancing Queen over and over again, but it means something when it gets a new and different purpose when it is recycled and sampled for a new production,” he said.

Is sampling always intentional?

There have been occasions where producers have been clever and used these old samples in a way that is not recognisable, but some of them have had to pay for those mistakes. Tareeq gave an example where Pharrell Williams had to endure a long drawn-out copyright battle over Robin Thicke's 2013 song Blurred Line which ended after a judge ordered them to pay almost $ 5 million to Marvin Gaye's estate in the case's final ruling years after the song’s release.

While there are occasions where it is totally possible to create something completely original yourself as a result of the influence these legendary tracks have had on you, it could resemble something

that is already in existence. On such occasions, you must either prove 150% that it is entirely an original piece or pay the price. In such occasions, however, the distributor would bear the brunt of those consequences, and to avoid such liabilities, there are safeguards in place. There are lots of software through which you can run your works and check any overlapping with pre-existing music.

In Sri Lanka, you have Yasmin Yusoff who promotes only local artists, and she runs the music she plays through such software to make sure that she is promoting 100% original content. Otherwise it is not fair, and you are promoting something that is not authentic.

The resurgence of VinylAs a vinyl-head, we asked Tareeq

about this second appearance by vinyl records, and he shared that this resurgence came about around 2012, adding that while there is some confusion as to how exactly it happened, it could be chalked down to “millennials began to discover vinyl”.

Since the 80s came up with CDs, the vinyl record had really declined in sales, particularly due to the CD’s convenience and the ability to make more numbers, and so naturally vinyl sales took a nosedive. However, since digital downloads have taken over CDs in music sales; those who were born in the late 90s and the 2000s were experiencing a lack of tangible music ownership and this generation is a group that has never experienced vinyl.

Many of them would dig for old records, and old record shops and large corporations picked up on this newfound interest and started supplying to meet the demand. Now, commercial artists like Adele would release their albums on vinyl.

Analog vs. digitalThere is a debate on whether the

audio quality is better on vinyl, but Thareeq said that there is some truth in the fact that the sound is much warmer and therefore more pleasant and soothing to the listener. It is easy on the ears with the more direct feeling of communication, but the biggest plus point of purchasing a vinyl record is its tangible nature.

When you purchase a record, there is a lot of information about the record on the album, such as about who is behind the production, who is on drums, on keyboard, etc., whereas in a digital download, you may get all this information but it is not available in such an obvious way that you have no choice but to take a look.

Vinyl art was also a huge draw; there is always unparalleled artwork on records. Back then, this was not digital photography in the 70s and the 80s; everything was shot on film and therefore it has a lot of depth to it. There was a lot of “on the fly” photography in that era as well, like the Rolling Stones or someone would be touring and you get these candid imagery with depth and raw exposure that all has a story to it. It would contribute to the tangibility of that history; everything in analog that you consume has been through a journey.

In Tareeq’s opinion, those in their 20s who were not born into that era are now looking into it and are experiencing

a new world. They are now buying vinyls, which has resulted in vinyl sales poised to overtake CD sales since 1986. CDs were on the decline considering the digital downloads. However, vinyl is experiencing a comeback and while it would never be able to go near where digital and streaming is at, it is something that has resurfaced.

Vinyl is here to stayAnother element that has really boosted

the sales are the reissues of old records, said Tareeq, sharing that if you are to take a band like Fleetwood Mac, they would have a limited “x” amount of copies of their vinyl records that were made, and these records carry massive value in the underground market and the accessibility is less considering the rarity of it. These are collectible items almost and will be sold for thousands of dollars.

However, record companies, having picked up on this demand, have begun to reissue these old records; those in ownership of the old master disk would reissue it as a brand new record, allowing more accessibility for fresh enthusiasts and a wider spread of consumption and interest.

There is talk that George Michael's album Older which was originally released at an extremely limited number of copies will now be reissued, allowing a great opportunity for fans. Those artists who were popular during that CD-dominant era, like Counting Crows, can now release on vinyl as these reissues have begun to boom vinyl sales.

Vinyl in Sri LankaTareeq stated that while he is no longer

a seller for vinyls, there are three major sellers in the island, sharing that they have been bringing down old records and players since 2015. There are websites like Urban.lk who are selling brand new and even second-hand players.

He shared that currently there are two WhatsApp groups totalling up to 200 members who have created a community around vinyl enthusiasm, and beyond that there are hundreds around the island who are looking for vinyl records.

In the case of vinyl, there is a community and personality built around it; you would often share your collection with others and like a book you are reading, you would swap out what you have with another and listen to it and bring it back.

There is a lot more work to maintain a vinyl collection as well. You have to play it every month or so to ensure moisture or dust do not collect/gather in the ridges, and you have to store it properly. Also, you must frequently take it out for cleaning and give it enough playtime. It is pretty much a hobby that keeps you engaged.

There is a certain beauty in listening to music through a vinyl record, when you can hold a record in your hand and exercise a journey as the artist intended you to witness it. Tareeq shared how while DJs nowadays may not need to use analog music, there is weight in knowing your roots and this is the history of DJ-ing. You should take the time to familiarise yourself with the journey and history of your passion, and if it peaks your interest, you can start to incorporate some of these elements into your own works.

When you purchase a record, there is a lot of

information about the record on the album, such as about who is behind the production, who is on drums, on keyboard, etc.

Currently there are two WhatsApp groups

totalling up to 200 members who have created a community around vinyl enthusiasm, and beyond that there are hundreds around the island who are looking for vinyl records

Tareeq Musafer

THE THIRD SESSION OF THE SERIES IS SET TO AIR ON

WEDNESDAY, 24 JUNE AT 9 P.M. ON FACEBOOK.

WHO SAMPLED

WHO AND IS VINYL STAGING

A COMEBACK?

You can keep listening to Dancing Queen over and over again, but it means something when it gets a new and different purpose when it is recycled and sampled for a

new productionTareeq Musafer

sportsthe morning

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

The world of politics and the world of sports have never really learnt how to get on with each other comfortably. It is an undeniable fact that in most countries, including Sri Lanka, that sporting heroes have made a name for themselves in politics as well. The names of Arjuna Ranatunga, who is an MP currently, and Sanath Jayasuriya, who was an MP, spring to mind immediately. Even in our neighbouring countries, this phenomenon is no different, with the legendary 1992 World Cup-winning cricket Captain of Pakistan Imran Khan being its current Prime Minister. And of course internationally, FIFA World Player of the Year 1996 is the current President of Liberia, in office since 2018. But all this pales in comparison when taking into account the state of affairs in the US with the unfortunate killing of George Floyd taking centre stage and the unprecedented reaction to it by the sports stars.

Colin Kaepernick sagaThe US already had a rather uneasy recent

past with the Colin Kaepernick saga. The sport of American football or the National

Football League (NFL) ruthlessly ostracised the San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, when he made his on-field protests against police brutality in 2016 and 2017 by “kneeling” during the National Anthem. As

NFL Vice President Joe Lockhart admitted very recently, the decision by NFL owners not to hire Kaepernick was an ideological choice. “No owner was willing to put the business at risk over this issue,” he said. And

as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell himself had put it at an owners’ meeting in Texas last December: “We’ve moved on.”

But with the latest happenings and the massive protests surrounding the George Floyd incident all round the world, Goodell himself has admitted that the NFL made the wrong choice at that time by strongly discouraging players from taking that stance of “kneeling”, with the mantra that sports and politics don’t mix. This has been further complicated by the strong displeasure of President Donald Trump concerning this new “turn about” stance of the NFL with regard to “kneeling”.

International reactionThere has been reaction all over the world

from various super stars of the sporting world who voiced their opinions regarding the George Floyd killing. LeBron James from basketball, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling from football (or soccer so as not to be confused with American football), and Lewis Hamilton from motor racing are some of the stars of the sporting world who have come forward with their thoughts. Not only that, even established sporting teams such as Liverpool have published photographs of their whole team kneeling at their training ground.

Barcelona FC in Spain went even further by releasing a statement on social media which read: “Racism, as a form of discrimination

that seeks to degrade and marginalise people because of their gender, sexual orientation and origin, or skin colour is a pandemic that affects us all.” The statement added: “At Barça, we will not stop fighting it.”

Modern contextWhatever the rights and the wrongs of the

current situation are, and on the face of the video of the incident, it looks very chilling, in the modern world, sports stars will always be influencers of actions and thoughts in social settings. It will be extremely difficult for the sports stars to divorce themselves from the political and social actions that will happen round the world. And in this modern context, it is more important than ever that the sports stars currently, and in the future, be well informed and well advised as to the responsibilities that they have as role models for thousands and millions of youth all round the world.

There will have to be a programme where these sports stars are given the proper education and training on how to handle themselves in these particular situations. The responsibility of this education is on their respective clubs, national associations, and of course the sports personalities themselves. Unless all parties take this responsibility seriously, the current uneasy relationship between sports and politics is only likely to get worse, and that would be to the detriment of all parties.

Politics and sports make uneasy bedfellows

Colin Kaepernick (on right) kneeling during the National Anthem before the start of a NFL league match

by Dinith Pathi

SPORTS WATCH

World Rugby and its new calendarWorld Rugby (WR), headed by Bill Beaumont, has called for further discussions over potential adjustments to the international calendar, following the disruption caused by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. That was at the WR Professional Game Forum held on Monday (15). National unions as well as international and professional players can now exchange their views about the calendar reform.

TV coverage ready for ‘new normal’When the Premier League football season restarts this week in England, fans will be on big screens in the stadia instigating new broadcast enhancement. A number of innovations, including tunnel cameras and audio from the coin toss, have been developed. Some viewers will also be given the option of listening to games with or without artificial crowd noise.

Royal Ascot sans the queenQueen Elizabeth II will miss Royal Ascot for the first time in her 68-year reign with the iconic race meeting being staged behind closed doors for the first time in its history. The overall prize pot too has been drastically reduced from $ 9.11 million last year to $ 4.65 million, Ascot Racecourse Chief Executive Guy Henderson has said.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) yesterday (16) rubbished the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) claim that no decision has been taken regarding the fate of the Asia Cup during the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting on 8 June.

“Both BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah were present at the ACC video conference meeting and they are aware about the development. The BCCI official, who has given a statement to Indian media, seems to be not aware of the matter,” a top SLC administrator was quoted by cricket website Cricket Age yesterday.

Re-affirms eligibility to host tournament

The top administrator added that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already agreed to SLC hosting this edition due to the present world situation, wrote Cricket Age.

“Today, as the reports of BCCI claim emerged, Board CEO Ashley de Silva again checked with ACC officials and confirmed that there is no confusion regarding Asia Cup hosting. Sri Lanka will host this year’s Asia Cup,” the top administrator had added.

z Both Ganguly and Jay Shah present at the ACC conference

SLC rubbishes BCCI’s claim

BY REVATHA S. SILVA

The Australian cricket board had no sooner shown difficulty in staging the T20 World Cup than the Indian cricket board came up unofficially with fresh dates for this year’s IPL.

A 44-day duration was already announced in Indian social media yesterday (16) with the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) being notified as 26 September. The eight-team event will now likely to end on Sunday, 8 November.

Embarrassing to allThe Board of Control for Cricket

in India (BCCI) has reportedly turned furious and expressed on Monday (15) their discontent over the reports saying Sri Lanka is going to host the next Asia Cup in September.

BCCI’s hubristic views, at the same time, embarrass the cricket board officials of their regional counterparts Pakistan and Sri Lanka to no end.

Our interests are ‘THE’ interests

Last week on 8 June, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) members met via teleconference and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had agreed, as we reported the next day, to hand over Sri Lanka the rights of the Asia Cup T20 tournament which Pakistan was slated to hold this September.

“We have no idea where such reports (that Sri Lanka was allowed to host the Asia Cup) are coming from and we are surprised how fast these reports travel. The BCCI is clear that no decision was taken at the ACC meeting. The board (BCCI) is tired of giving out these clarifications,” an official of the BCCI has told The Times of India on Monday.

“There won’t be a truncated IPL just to host Asia Cup. Those thinking on such lines are not speaking in India’s interests,” another BCCI official has added.

Waiting till final decision on T20 World Cup

It is obvious that India is taking time until the International Cricket Council (ICC) finalises on the possibility of holding the next T20 World Cup scheduled to be staged in this October-November window in Australia.

Australia is able to flatten successfully the coronavirus curve and began sports events behind closed doors last week. The country expects to fill stadia with limited number of spectators too from next month onwards.

Ganguly’s plansThis means that if Australia will

be able to go on with its plans to hold the World Cup during October and November as well as Asia Cup in September, there won’t be any space available for the IPL this year.

In the past three weeks (on 28 May and 11 June), the ICC twice deferred its decision on the fate of

the World Cup.That was apparently to buy time

to have a clearer view of, among other things, two key developments: Australia’s possibility to hold the World Cup amid the Covid-19

situation there, and the Indian Supreme Court’s decision on the eligibility of Souvrav Ganguly to go for a second straight term as BCCI President. His first term in office, which ran only for less than a year,

is ending in July.BCCI’s willingness to take over

the ICC Chair after it is vacated by Shashank Manohar is a well-known secret in the cricket world.

‘Cooling-off period’The clause on the BCCI

Constitution requiring its officials to have “a cooling-off period” between two terms has become a hindrance to Ganguly’s plans.

The said “cooling-off” clause has been added to the BCCI Constitution to get the body rid of possible future oligarchy, or a small group of people holding control of their cricket board.

This means that the key decision by the New Delhi-based Indian Supreme Court can decide Ganguly’s future prospects. If not, as we have reported, Narayanaswami Srinivasan will come into the picture in Ganguly’s place.

Cricket Australia CEO resigns

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) Chief Executive Kevin Roberts resigned yesterday after months of criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis. The 47-year-old was criticised for his cost-cutting measures, including asking 80% of staff to take a pay cut.

He was appointed in October 2018 following James Sutherland’s 17-year tenure.

Englishman Nick Hockley, the Chief Executive of the T20 World Cup, has replaced Roberts on an interim basis.

Indian influenceCricket Australia said a wider

“operational reset” at the governing body will be announced this week.

If IPL is not held, the Indian GDP will lose Rs. 2,650 crore or SL Rs. 64 billion. In Australia, they will lose AUD 20 million if the T20 World Cup is not going to be held. But if the Indians are not committed to tour there this summer, their loss will be 15 times more at a staggering AUD 300 million.

z BCCI’s hubristic views embarrass regional counterpartsIPL wins the cup!

The men’s T20 World Cup in Australia is “unlikely” to take place this year because of coronavirus, Cricket Australia Chairman Earl Eddings said yesterday (16).

The tournament is due to run from 18 October to 15 November at seven venues.

“Trying to get 16 countries into Australia, when most countries are still going through Covid spiking, is unrealistic or will be very, very difficult,” BBC quoted Eddings as saying yesterday.

No international cricket has been played since 13 March when Australia beat New Zealand in a behind-closed-doors men’s ODI in Sydney.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) hinted five days ago there was a possibility that Australia could host the event on schedule.

“The ICC are having meetings as we speak. It’s a bit of a moving feast at the moment,” said Eddings. “We’ve put forward a number of different options to the ICC that we’re working through.”

T20 World Cup ‘unlikely’

A social media post being disseminated yesterday

the morningWednesday, June 17, 2020

6

education

Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC) is opening doors for those university students who are returning home from overseas, to continue their degree programmes by transferring credits obtained to date, enabling lateral entry to degree pathways offered by SLTC.

This also presents an opportunity for those students who previously made plans to go overseas for their undergraduate studies to pursue a university education whilst being in the comfort and safety of their homes.

The initiative has been endorsed by the Ministry of Higher Education, and complements the vision of the Government and that of the Ministry, to enable continuity in education for all and to utilise the unexpected impact of the pandemic to transform the educational landscape of the country to be of global standards.

The lockdown imposed by countries across the world due to the ongoing Covid-19 virus has, among other things, hindered the ongoing education of hundreds of students studying in Sri Lanka and overseas.

Sri Lanka has seen students returning after their studies have been curtailed midway and are now facing uncertain times with the lack of proper guidelines as to when and how these overseas universities will reopen, and even if they do, due to the restriction of travel.

Apart from these students, there are hundreds more who have been awaiting to

begin their higher education but now also face the same predicament. Despite the former lockdown in Sri Lanka, SLTC was the first campus to continue uninterrupted, conducting classes online for all its students following any of the 24 degree programmes on offer.

With the success of these online classes, the SLTC now opens its doors to students who have returned from their universities overseas and are midway into their undergrad programmes (lateral entry), students who were planning to go overseas for university education, and all other students who want to follow world-recognised degree programmes in engineering, technology, professional studies, business, IT and computing, and music.

These students can submit their applications to SLTC and choose modules from ongoing programmes on credit transfer mode and join the classes immediately. It is to be noted that some of the modules taken at SLTC during this time can be transferred once the student returns, saving them time and money.

Students who wish to remain in Sri Lanka and complete their degree programmes at SLTC can do so on fulfilling the entry criteria. This also applies to students who have just registered or were planning on registering as well as students whose studies have been put on hold for various other reasons.

Since 2016, the SLTC has been inspired by excellence and innovation and has maintained a passion for education with a faculty of highly respected professionals in their respective fields. It is the first corporate powered educational institute that focuses on building career-ready graduates that will be in par with their global counterparts. SLTC has research, teaching, and student exchange partnerships with leading universities and institutions in several countries around the world, including Lancaster University UK, Deakin University Australia, Trinity College Dublin Ireland, Texas Tech University US, and the Georgia Institute of Technology US.

For more information, visit www.sltc.lk or call 011 210 0500.

z Students who have returned due to Covid-19 pandemic can resume where they left off

z Already earned credits can be transferred to SLTC programmes and vice versa

z New students can start their degree without further delay and transfer the credits to their desired university

SLTC offers unhindered education opportunities for returning students

With close to 4.5 million Sri Lankan schoolchildren at home, e-learning has taken on a special new significance. To help parents teach their kids about nutrition, health, food safety, and hygiene during this time, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Nestlé have launched an e-learning version of its long-running “Nestlé Healthy Kids” programme. Usually taught by ministry educationists as an extra-curricular subject in public schools, the programme aims to raise awareness on nutrition and a healthy lifestyle among schoolchildren. It is Sri Lanka’s first official “Nutrition and Wellness” (“Poshanayai Suwadiviyai”) e-learning programme, hosted on http://tiny.cc/ozucoz.

“As we close in on completing the 10th year of the Nestlé Healthy Kids programme, we are honoured to work together with the Ministry of Education to help

raise a healthier generation. Today, more than ever, understanding and ensuring good health is essential. Childhood is where life-long habits are formed, and e-learning is clearly the future and the need of the hour in continuing education at this time. In this new reality, we’re

proud to step up and launch Sri Lanka’s first official Nutrition and Wellness e-learning programme with the Ministry of Education,” said Nestlé Managing Director Fabrice Cavallin. The e-learning programme features a modern and interactive learning style,

with engaging content designed to support the school curriculum. It consists of six modules, with an assessment at the end of each, and is available in all three languages. Those scoring above 60% will receive an official certificate from the MoE.

MoE and Nestlé launch SL’s first official ‘Nutrition and Wellness’ e-learning programme

Online education is not a recent phenomenon for the Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC). In fact, a fully fledged online Learning Management System (LMS) has been in operation at CINEC since 2018. In keeping with the latest trends in online teaching and distance learning in a virtual environment, CINEC is focused on assuring a more personalised and interactive experience for students.

CINEC President Capt. Ajith Peiris said: “We have invested in several new technologies as well as enhancing connectivity in order to make online education more immersive, interesting, personalised, and accessible for both students and lecturers. Our success story has been based on conforming to maintain the highest quality in all aspects of our operations and I have requested the CINEC deans and heads of department to ensure the highest quality in online delivery too.”

The modern trend for personalised learning is largely connected to the evolution of the LMS

into the LXS (Learning Experience Systems). The goal of a LXS is to provide the most fulfilling experience for students and lecturers by providing all the tools, data, and content to the participant in a very accessible way. CINEC is at present moving fast towards setting up its LXS for the benefit of its thousands of diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate students.

Fulfilling the demands of multitudes of the most diversified higher education disciplines in Sri Lanka, CINEC LMS today caters for marine officers and officer cadets in their learning processes whilst sailing around the

world. They can thus keep abreast of the fast-changing environment of this global industry, while on the move. Aviation engineering students who are availed of on-the-job training abroad also make use of the LMS facility gainfully.

CINEC Faculty of Engineering and Technology Associate Dean and ICT Resources and Services Department Head Chandima H. de Silva said: “At present, CINEC has a fully functional online LMS that is capable of handling the online learning needs of several thousand students simultaneously. All six faculties of

CINEC (namely, the Faculties of Marine Engineering, Maritime Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Management and Social Sciences, Health Sciences, and Humanities and Education) are heavily utilising the LMS at present for online distance teaching as well as live streaming both audio and video lectures. CINEC plans to further enhance live streaming of lectures by adding technology that is capable of handling a large number of live lectures simultaneously. A plan to enhance the e-learning facilities of the CINEC library is already in progress. It is also possible to conduct

examinations using the LMS and we are in the process of purchasing a more advanced online examination management system that is currently being used in Germany and US.”

All UK university degree programmes conducted at CINEC are also delivered using the university LMSs so that students can complete their degrees without any delays. CINEC acknowledges with thanks the untiring efforts and commitment of the deans, associate deans, heads of department, and other academic and administrative staff, working under the direction of the Senior Management Team, in conducting online teaching during this period, and also thank their student community who readily and willingly joined CINEC to continue their studies online without interruption. CINEC assures current students, as well as thousands of prospective students who have already expressed their willingness to join CINEC, that their cherished dream of a high-quality education will be made a reality without any delay.

CINEC steps up technology-driven, future-focused online education

The International Institute of Health Science (IIHS) has yet again used innovative solutions to engage with students during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic through the improved and versatile Learner Management System (LMS).

Having consecutively won awards at the Commonwealth Digital Health Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and improved accessibility to education for students, notable key features of the LMS platform includes providing access to all learner material and student-centric teaching, thus allowing students to access material and prepare for the online class from the safety and comfort of their home. This new and improved student-centric learning environment is on a par with international standards to ensure students maintain autonomy while achieving the desired outcomes.

Furthermore, more exams are also held to match international standards and requirements.

With the use of a simple device and an internet connection, students can access online e-Libraries and research material through the LMS which provides access to all undergraduate/postgraduate students, healthcare

professionals, and teachers. The system enables IIHS to deliver local and international programmes, thereby reaching out to the international market during a time when travel has been suspended.

“We are constantly looking at innovative ways to improve efficiency and accessibility for our students. It’s becoming imperative

for educational institutes to be able to adapt to global changes with minimal disruption to the study programmes. At IIHS, this is a key area of focus so that our students will always have access to their study material irrespective of time or place. By using such cost-saving digital technologies for the provision of education, IIHS will

continue its mission of becoming a central regional hub for education,” commented IIHS CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe.

Thiyasha Karuanaratne, a final-year nursing student at IIHS, shared: “I’ve been using the IIHS LMS since my enrollment three years ago, but lately it has been very helpful for me to access my learning material during this pandemic. The lecturers are always online, so we can reach out to them for any queries. The LMS is on a par with international standards and will support my journey in global higher education.”

Prior to the breakout of the pandemic, IIHS provided access to study content for all nurses completing the bachelor’s programme in nursing. Back in 2017, as an initiative to improve accessible, affordable education, IIHS provided tabs to nurses, enabling access to the LMS from home or their workplace which led to an increase in the levels of satisfaction and improved IT

literacy skills among the nursing students whilst giving them the option of not having to travel long distances for education.

Currently, approximately 1,500 state sector nurses utilise tablet devices to access the LMS, thereby adhering to the contemporary modes of learning whilst staying up to date with the latest evidence in healthcare. Whilst this initiative ensures that the frontline workers of our community gain access to much-deserved education, it is also prominent for its positive effects on the environment. In addition, IIHS also created an independent LMS for the state sector nursing training schools to allow similar access to content for students and tutors. This initiative, whilst reducing the workload of the tutors, will allow nursing students to access learning material from home during the pandemic.

For more information on the digital platforms available for students at IIHS, contact staff on 011-4651144.

IIHS Learner Management System provides students access to online material

IIHS CEO Co-founder Dr. Kithsiri Edirisinghe accepting the award for the accessibility of the LMS at the Commonwealth Digital Health Awards