Huawei launched new devices available now for pre-order in Sri Lanka
Atlas Recognised by SLIM for Facilitating Learning During the Pandemic
The organisation was recognised for its significant endeavours in creating equal learning opportunities of over 480,000 children for the financial year 2021 amidst the pandemic, where education had come to a standstill. Soon after identifying various obstacles faced by parents to keep children engaged at home, and teachers having to adapt to new ways of teaching with limited resources, Atlas altered its strategy and kickstarted initiatives to help overcome these challenges by collaborating with educators, the Ministry of Education, and other authorities.
“It is imperative that every child has the right to a quality education and so we are overjoyed to have impacted over 480,000 children, 3,500 teachers, and 175,000 parents by adding value and purpose to education. Most importantly, we helped children smoothly advance through their grades during these trying times, but our efforts won’t stop here. We have utilized technology to reach wider stakeholders in an isolation environment and continue to make learning fun, productive and accessible for every child across Sri Lanka,” said Asitha Samaraweera, Managing Director, Atlas Axillia Co. Ltd.
During the past year, Atlas successfully completed various initiatives including comprehensive teacher engagements to support the timely adaptation of online teaching through techniques to make learning interactive and effective in a virtual setting. The company also undertook to provide free online learning content, especially to support grade 5 scholarship students and creative activities such as ‘Learn Creative Skills with MyCrafts’ to keep children engaged during lockdown. Additionally, Atlas partnered with the Ministry of Education to implement the ‘Safety in Back-to-School’ Programme to ensure safety protocols were in place when schools re-opened.
“It is an honour to win the CSR Brand of the Year award, and we are grateful to SLIM for the recognition. Receiving this title would not only set the bar for Atlas in terms of brand performance, but it will also validate the brand's efforts in helping the country and its children. We are proud to be a brand that is precious to the hearts of millions of Sri Lankan children, an essential component of school life, and a helpful companion at every stage of their learning journey,” added Samaraweera.
Atlas Axillia Co. (Private) Limited, formerly known as Ceylon Pencil Company (Private) Limited, was founded in 1959 and has since grown to become Sri Lanka’s market leader in school stationery manufacturing. Fuelled by a passion for making learning fun, “Atlas” has created a strong connection with Sri Lankan consumers, being voted No. 1 School Supply Brand of the year 2020 at the People’s Choice Awards and has also recently won many national and international awards for excellence including the National Quality Award 2018 and the Global Performance Excellence Award 2019.
Microsoft leads charge to inspire employment diversity in Sri Lanka
AIA Insurance receives multiple GPTW awards in 2021
Best Workplaces in Asia list – large category award for the first time, the Best Workplaces for Millennials which is another first-time award and the Best Workplaces for Women award for four consecutive years by the independent analysts at Great Place to Work in Sri Lanka.
In 2021, AIA passed the rigorous measurements through analysis of results of the Great Place to Work Trust Index and Culture Audit questionnaire and scored among the best in the country, thus differentiating itself as a great workplace for all employees, having established AIA as a superlative employer of choice.
AIA’s CEO Nikhil Advani said, “For us at AIA, employee’s trust and pride towards the workplace are of primary importance – to that end we focus on ensuring an equal opportunity, safe environment where people can enjoy a balance between personal wellbeing, career growth, sense of community and adding value to themselves and our shareholders. Being awarded multiple GPTW awards are testament that we are doing this right.”
AIA’s Director HR Thushari Perera notes that “we are delighted to add these world class accolades to our credentials as we continue to prioritize employee happiness, care, development and wellbeing. Further, winning these prestigious awards, both locally and internationally is recognition of all the hard work and focus we put into gender equity and parity. We will continue to place significant emphasis on creating a work environment where everyone has a fair opportunity to learn, grow and fulfill their career dreams as competent professionals. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, AIA continues to thrive with our employees at the very heart of our success.”
Used cars turn to gold as Sri Lanka economy skids on the edge
The island nation of 22 million is on the brink of bankruptcy, inflation is red hot and the government has barred a range of "non-essential" imports to save dollars needed to buy food, medicine and fuel.In the car market, this two-year ban has kept factory-fresh automobiles off local roads, forcing desperate buyers to pay some of the world's highest prices for beaten-up compacts and no-frills family sedans.
Anthony Fernando spent a recent weekend coursing through sales lots in the Colombo outskirts on behalf of his daughter, who has tried to find an affordable set of wheels for nearly a year.
"She was thinking that prices will come down," the 63-year-old told AFP, but now she is "paying for procrastinating".
Prices have gone "beyond the reach of a common person", he said.
A five-year-old Toyota Land Cruiser was on offer online for an eye-watering 62.5 million rupees ($312,500) -- triple the pre-ban rate, and enough to buy a house in a middle-class Colombo neighbourhood or a new luxury apartment in the city centre.
A decade-old Fiat five-seater with a busted engine that might be stripped for parts elsewhere was listed at $8,250 -- more than twice Sri Lanka's average yearly income.
"A car and a house are symbols of success," said a grinning Sarath Yapa Bandara, the owner of one of the capital's biggest dealerships.
"That is why most people are willing to buy even at these high prices."
Out of this world
Car ownership remains a virtual necessity in the traffic-snarled streets of Colombo, where a ramshackle bus and rail network was already struggling with overcrowding.
The number of taxis has also fallen sharply, with drivers selling their cabs to cash in on the dizzying prices, and those still working charging double their old fares or more.
"You must have your own car," said Udaya Hegoda Arachchi, another buyer preparing to bite the bullet at a dealership.
"We can't expect prices to come down anytime soon, given the economic situation in the country," he told AFP.
Covid has sent Sri Lanka into a tailspin, drying up all-important earnings from tourism and foreign remittances.
In March 2020 the government brought in a wide-ranging import ban -- including for new cars -- to stop foreign currency from leaving the country.
But the policy has not been able to staunch the outflow of dollars, and has instead left the nation struggling to source critical goods.
Food retailers have rationed rice, restaurants have shuttered because they cannot find cooking gas, and cash-strapped power utilities unable to afford oil have imposed rolling blackouts. Farmers have run out of fertiliser.
Chinese debt
Rating agencies have warned that Sri Lanka might default soon although the government says it will meet its commitments. It is trying to renegotiate its Chinese debts with Beijing.
The import ban has also left car parts in short supply, meaning drivers are at risk of being stranded after a breakdown.
Ravi Ekanayake told AFP that his Colombo repair garage was doing a roaring trade from owners unable to afford the astronomical costs of switching to a new vehicle.
"But parts are scarce. It is a catch-22: You either get caught with an old car without parts or you don't have the money to buy a new car."
Financial analyst Murtaza Jafferjee said the prices also underscored a problem caused by excessive money printing by a cash-strapped central bank, with "too much money chasing too few goods".
He said the prices were also increasing transport costs and adding to inflation, which hit a record 14 percent in December.
"When vehicles become unaffordable for a segment of society, their activities will be limited. Then we will also see a loss of economic output," the CEO of JB Securities said.
"We are about to collapse and not many people appreciate the depth of the problem."