Sanitation Stories from Three Underserved Communities in Sri Lanka

The paper explores the sanitary experiences of people living in three low-income communities in Sri Lanka, namely Nawagampura, Salamulla and Mahaiyawa. Qualitative data gathered from 30 households through in-depth interviews were analysed thematically to develop and understanding of the nature and magnitude of the sanitation problems encountered by residents. Salamulla is a high-rise building where residents have been relocated from various shanty communities in Colombo. These complete houses have been given for free. In Nawagampura, similar shanty dwellers have been given two perches of land for free. Mahaiyawa is a shanty community occupied mainly by municipal council workers in Kandy. Vast majority of residents in all three sites do not have any legal documents to claim ownership to the house/ land. Overcrowding throughout several decades of occupation has resulted in various kinds of sanitation issues such as clogged canals and drainages, overflowing sewages, unclean public toilets, flooding, urinating in public, open defecation and ad hoc garbage disposal. Formal mechanisms to control these have failed due to unmanageability caused by magnitude of the offenses and laissez faire attitude among authorities and/or residents

Sanitation Stories from Three Underserved Communities in Sri Lanka

The paper explores the sanitary experiences of people living in three low-income communities in Sri Lanka, namely Nawagampura, Salamulla and Mahaiyawa. Qualitative data gathered from 30 households through in-depth interviews were analysed thematically to develop and understanding of the nature and magnitude of the sanitation problems encountered by residents. Salamulla is a high-rise building where residents have been relocated from various shanty communities in Colombo. These complete houses have been given for free. In Nawagampura, similar shanty dwellers have been given two perches of land for free. Mahaiyawa is a shanty community occupied mainly by municipal council workers in Kandy. Vast majority of residents in all three sites do not have any legal documents to claim ownership to the house/ land. Overcrowding throughout several decades of occupation has resulted in various kinds of sanitation issues such as clogged canals and drainages, overflowing sewages, unclean public toilets, flooding, urinating in public, open defecation and ad hoc garbage disposal. Formal mechanisms to control these have failed due to unmanageability caused by magnitude of the offenses and laissez faire attitude among authorities and/or residents

Exploring Sanitation Issues in Underserved Communities in Sri Lanka

The paper explores the sanitary experiences of people living in three low-income communities in Sri Lanka: Nawagampura, Salamulla, and Mahaiyawa. Qualitative data gathered from 30 households through in-depth interviews were analysed thematically to develop an understanding of the nature and magnitude of the sanitation problems encountered by residents. Salamulla is a high-rise building where residents have relocated from various shanty communities in Colombo. These complete houses have been given for free. In Nawagampura, similar shanty dwellers have been given two perches of land for free. Mahaiyawa is a shanty community occupied mainly by municipal council workers in Kandy. Most of the residents in all three sites do not have any legal documents to claim ownership of the house or land. Overcrowding throughout several decades of occupation has resulted in various sanitation issues such as clogged canals and drainages, overflowing sewages, unclean public toilets, flooding, urinating in public, open defecation, and ad hoc garbage disposal. Formal mechanisms to control these have failed due to unmanageability caused by the magnitude of the offenses and laissez-faire attitudes among authorities or residents

Why become teachers? Case study of undergraduates in the Faculty of Education, University of Colombo

This study aimed to understand the reasons that encouraged student teachers who are following the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) Degree at the Faculty of Education, University of Colombo to join the teaching profession. A purposive sample of thirty undergraduates were selected for study. Data gathering was done using semi-structured interviews. The reasons presented by the student teachers were categorized into intrinsic, extrinsic and altruistic reasons. Belief in one’s personal characteristics as being suited for a career in teaching and personal interest were among the intrinsic reasons identified. Extrinsic reasons included reasons such as admiration for the physical appearance of teachers, social position attributed to teaching as a ‘noble’ profession, secured job with an adequate income, opportunities offered for career advancement and benefits for a balanced family life. Altruistic reasons were among the least mentioned reasons. Some participants mentioned a desire to contribute towards the wellbeing of children. The study also found that joining the B.Ed. programme with the sole intention of securing a job could lead to the recruitment of less suitable (though qualified) individuals to the profession. The findings of this study could be used to increase the quality of the process of producing and recruiting teachers

Finding ‘Reasons to Stay’ Amidst Issues of Well-Being: A Case Study of Two Underserved Communities in Colombo

This paper attempts to explore the factors that attract and encourage individuals to live in low-income neighbourhoods in Colombo in spite of the many socioeconomic issues that are associated with such communities. Data was collected through 30 face-to-face in-depth interviews with residents from two underserved communities consisting of individuals with different migration experiences. The collected data was then analysed using the three-dimensional well-being model introduced by Pouw and McGregor (2014). The study revealed a situation of material and relational wellbeing intersecting to create a more practical kind of well-being in the communities studied. Of the two, material well-being had the strongest power to attract and retain residents in the neighbourhoods while relational wellbeing played a supportive role in terms of pulling people into the community. Subjective well-being, on the other hand, was identified as the strongest reason with a capacity to push people away from the community. However, this single push factor was not strong enough to overpower the pull effect of material and relational well-being, particularly because of the residents’ low-income status. The material benefits of living in the location facilitated by social ties offered by the neighbourhood kept these residents attracted and attached to these underserved communities

Continuing Education During Times of War: Experiences of Children in Northern Sri Lanka

The primary objective of the study was to explore the experiences of children during and after 30 years of civil war with particular attention on its impact on their academic learning. The research intended to answer two research questions, namely 1) How did the war impact on children’s education? and 2) What support networks were available for children affected by war to remain in school and/or to continuously engage in academic learning? The research was carried out in the Jaffna District of Northern Sri Lanka and depended entirely on qualitative data generated through in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus groups discussions and observations. Multiple displacements caused by war, the impact of war on livelihoods and the trauma caused by war has resulted in some students losing interest in school and eventually dropping out. In spite of various financial and other support provided by local and international NGOs only some children have remained in school with a sustained interest in education. A characteristic common to these children was that they came from more ‘secure’ family backgrounds. The security offered by intimate relationships within the family seems crucial for educational success even during times of war. The findings suggest the need for strengthening family well-being and stronger emotional support to ensure sustained interest in education during times of war

Can Sri Lankan teachers afford to spare the rod? Teacher attitudes towards corporal punishment in school

This study attempts to understand teacher attitudes towards corporal punishment (CP) in Sri Lankan Government schools. A purposively selected sample of 28 Government school teachers from four schools in Colombo participated in the study. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews with the teachers. It was found that a majority of teachers in the sample have resorted to some form of CP at some point in their career as teachers. Given the teaching-learning culture teachers have been exposed to as children and the authority traditionally attributed to teachers in Sri Lanka, they were mostly of the opinion that CP can have positive impacts on children and their future success. Teachers did not seem hostile to the idea of CP per se but the “form” and “severity” of CP administered on students. They thought that CP becomes an “issue” only when teachers use it in brutal/inhuman manner with vindictive intents and as a means of stress release. High levels of work related stress and weaknesses in teacher recruitment were highlighted as resulting in situations of “brutal/inhuman beating” in schools. The views expressed by teachers raise important policy implications particularly in the areas of teacher training and recruitment