The tortuous path to knowledge from Gomarankadawala

Mangalanath Liyanaarachchi – Trincomalee

While students in the capital, receive swimming pools, indoor stadiums and computer halls, the children of Trincomalee  where the shadows of terrorists still haunt the area, are asking for books to read.

Although peace reigns in Gomarankadawala where for a long time they lived their lives under the stress, threats and terror of the terrorists their lives have not taken a turn for the better.

While, schools situated in the midst of the city of Trincomalee have more than adequate computer and library facilities, 12 year-old Sadhum Kumara, resident in Gomarankadawala says that he has never actually seen a computer except on television.

“I have seen a computer only on television. But it is more valuable for us than a computer, if we can get some books that we can read. The books in our school library are very old. Those books do not suit the current education system,” he says.

Agriculture and farming are the livelihoods of Sadhum Kumara’s parents and the gingelly, millet and  kurakkan which is sown and tended to amidst, droughts, and facing terrorist threats and wild animals, the income of the harvest of which when sold is just enough to help them exist from meal to meal is insufficient to purchase any books.

“Our village is situated about 50 kilometers from Trincomalee. Other villages even if they do not have schools have a proper library at the District Secretariat. However, there are no new books in the library in our village. I travel from here to Horowpathana in Anuradhapura to follow a computer course. The trip costs around two hundred rupees daily, only for bus fare, to travel up and down. Although my parents find it hard to bear such costs, even with difficulty I attend the classes.

There are no books that I can read in connection with this course, in our village library. However, in Anuradhapura, there are more than enough facilities for these things,” said Dayani Karunaratne who is a Grade 11 student of Gomarankadawala Maha Vidyalaya. Dayani’s mother who works in a chena and spends every cent she earns on Dayani, who is fatherless.

Due to the severe shortage of teachers in rural distant areas such as Gomarankadawala, the percentage of students of schools in these locations, who pass the examinations is very low. The shortage of teachers which is prevalent throughout the year is most often remedied close to the date of an examination.

“What we actually have in our schools is a dire shortage of teachers. Last year a permanent Mathematics teacher was appointed only during the last few months. If, at least we have a few books with past papers – questions and answers, we could get together and study and discuss them. We do not even have a newspaper vendor in our village. If we want to buy a newspaper we have to travel to Horowpathana which is about 30 kilometers away. If there are at least a few such books in the library we will be able to overcome this dearth,” said Kumudini Ruwan Mala of Gomarankadawala.

Most female students give up their education after year nine or ten and enter into marriage. The marriages of these girls, at very young ages end don’t last long leaving them as single mothers of a number of young children.

The male students  scrape through year ten or the ordinary level class and finish their education and either join the civil protection force or take to work in chenas and fields. If not they become soldiers. Those who have moved further than that are very few in number.

One foreign Non Governmental Organization who is active in this country, has listened to the cry of these innocent students and has taken steps to provide books. In response to these children’s compassionate request, the NGO from Italy initiated a mobile library for these students. However, Prashad Pararajasingham, the local coordinator of this organization says that it is not sufficient to overcome all the shortages.

“We give each person, one book for a period of one week. If it is a novel there is no problem. However, it is difficult to read a book on an educational subject and grasp facts in one week. We feel compassion when we see how some of the children gaze at the books in anticipation, when we bring them and ask them to choose one of the books. If there is any possibility to provide these children with a permanent library and computer training center it will be of immense value. We have informed the higher authorities of our organization about this. But it is difficult to say whether it can be achieved or not.”

“Our schools receive text books, after three quarters of the year has passed. That too, not in required quantities. Everything we know is from books. We do not know what happens or takes place beyond that. Recently, for an examination we had to write and essay on a trip to the zoo. We have read about the zoo from books and papers only. Or else through the television. Most of the children in our school, have only heard of the animals in the zoo. They have never been to the zoo. Since I could not write about things I did not know I omitted answering that question,” said Niluka Dilhani.

“Many Non Governmental Organizations and institutions come to our village and spend hundred of thousands of rupees on useless things. What I am telling them is that, they should buy some books for our schools and the libraries in the village with that money they spend. Take us on educational trips to the zoo, Sigiriya, the planetarium which we have never seen.”

Residents of Linga Nagar face a dire situation where land they’ve lived on is now being claimed by the government to set up an Army training camp

Mangalanath Liyanaarachchi – Trincomalee

For the people of Linga Nagar in Trincomalee the word justice has no meaning. Having set up homes after being displaced, the land which they occupied for over 18 years cannot be claimed as there own.

Despite a decree being passed by the judiciary which awarded these people ownership this has not been taken into consideration by the government.

” I often visit my friends at their homes. However I have never invited them to my home. Just consider, bringing a friend, without feeling ashamed, into this house which is merely a hut, where when you enter you can see the sky through the roof…” Sammugarasa Mekhala, a resident of Linga Nagar said of her wattle and daub house which has a roof covered with plastic sheets.

Mekhala is an advanced level student at a leading girls’ school in Trincomalee.

These people who lost their homes due to the war and remained in camps were eventually resettled into in a remote, jungle area in Linga Nagar in 1994 through the initiatives taken by the then Minister of Social Welfare and Vocational Training, Douglas Devananda and the EPDP organization.

 Although this land was a jungle area then, it is now partially urbanised as of now; however, government officers have still to award ownership of land to the people.

“When we were in the refugee camps, the EPDP organization came and asked us whether we would leave the camps if they gave us land from Linga Nagar. Since we could not stay in these camps with these small children on a permanent basis we agreed.”

When we arrived in Linga Nagar this area was a vast jungle. We cleared the jungle, cut through the hills and built these few houses. We lived here for about two years and then the Army came and told us that this land belonged to the Army and to vacate the lands immediately.

Now we do not have a place to go to. The Army is harassing us, asking us to move. Later we presented this problem to the then, EPDP Parliamentarian, of Jaffna, Chandrakumar. The Member of Parliament, then came and discussed the issue with us as well as the Army and asked us to hand over the lands close to the Army camps, to them. He then said that only the first 48 families who arrived after that would be given 15 perches each, from this area. We agreed to that, and vacated the lands close to the Army camp and came to reside here. Twelve years have gone by since then. The Army does not allow us to bring cadjan to thatch our roofs, leave aside, the deeds for the land,” said Rasaiah Sammugarasa a resident of Linga Nagar.

The EPDP organization has resettled these people here for political gain, but the security forces say that this land has been used from the times of the reign of the British, by the Army to conduct their training and detonations.

The Army occupied a small camp there a while back but they moved the camp, from this place temporarily. The Security Forces are of the opinion that, Minister Douglas Devananda, with or without the knowledge of the people, has resettled them on a land that lawfully belongs to the Army.

“On September 20, 1996, General Parami Kulatunga, put up an Army camp in Linga Nagar. We were asked to remain on the lands we had settled in. They said they will survey the lands and allocate them to us. In January 1997,  the then District Secretary of Trincomalee, Velu Mailum filed a case in the Courts, stating we were illegally occupying land which belonged to the state and to evict us. That Court case was adjudicated until 2002 and finally the Magistrate decreed that, these people could not be evicted like unless they were provided with alternative lands.” Rasaiah Sammugarasa, said.

The Army officers who turned their attention to the plight of the residents of Linga Nagar with compassion, agreed to provide them with a 15 acre land and the Army informed the judiciary of their decision.

M. Ramachandran, a resident of Linga Nagar, is a leading respondent of this case of injustice where the land is concerned. According to him, the objections against this land which was provided willingly by the Army are coming from government officials.

“The Army personnel know that even though we are on land that doesn’t belong to us that we are innocent people. We never faced any problem from them. Neither did we ever pose a problem to them. Nevertheless, a person came from the Army and surveyed a land of 15 Acres and informed us that the 54 families who were resident before  June 1, 1995 would first be provided with land and then the rest. These surveyed lands were handed over to the District Secretariat by the Army. That was done so that we would be allotted 15 perches each.

The Court Case No. 7342/02 filed in the judiciary in 2006, in order to solve this problem of illegal lands, by the state and the Army, was settled on June 30, 2004 on the promise that the Army would provide these people with a 15 acre land willingly.

Although these residents made requests to act in accordance with the judgement issued by the Trincomalee Magistrates Court, Mr. Ramachandran said, she repeatedly asked them to consult the Government Agent with regard to this matter.

“We told the District Secretary that we do not need to discuss this issue with the Government Agent because the Army is willing to hand over the lands and as the case was settled. But she does not take any notice of this…”

Since Government officers have not acted upon the judgement of the Magistrates Court, they presented this issue to the Commission of Human Rights. According to the Linga Nagar residents, although the District Secretary has been asked to present herself at the Commission of Human Rights in order to inquire into this matter she has not done so. We made an inquiry regarding this issue, from the then, Trincomalee, Commission of Human Rights branch, officer in charge who handled matters there. At this juncture, she mentioned that although their institution had dealt with this problem that it had come to a standstill.

We inquired from the District Secretary regarding this issue. It was reported that a vast number of names had been added illegally to the land owners list and consequently when the list was displayed for the public, there had been several objections. As a result, until that issue was settled, the issuing of permits for the land was suspended.

Mohan Kushanthan – Linga Nagar

“We have now, waited fourteen years to get the permits for the lands. If the Government is not taking into consideration the decree issued by the judiciary, then what else can we do? We cannot get electricity or water. We do not at least, have a permanent address. When we want to enter a child into a school, they ask for permanent residency details or electricity or water bills. We have done everything we can do.

It is a lie that others are objecting to giving us the lands. Some people who used to live by the sea before the Tsunami came to reside in this area where our lands are. We objected to that. Now, there is no such problem. No one is objecting to the 54 families being given the lands according to the decision of the judiciary. The government is carrying on a farce.”

Mrs. Fareena Sivapalan – Linga Nagar

“We still live in the huts that were built in 1994. As we are illegal residents we do not have any rights at all. The Army does not permit us to bring timber or a rafter in order to build ourselves a house. Even if a relative visits, we cannot ask them to stay the night. We cannot take a camera to our houses, even to photograph a child’s birthday. What is this life? ” Mrs. Fareena Sivapalan asks.

Even media personnel were requested to leave all equipment at the border check point to the entrance of the village.

As a result photographs from mobile phone cameras which afford very few facilities were used to photograph the people of Linga Nagar.

Mrs. Vignesharasa Pushpalatha – Linga Nagar

“Our husbands and sons cannot intervene since we have to deal with the Government and the Army in asking for the lands. It is, as if we are banging our heads against a rock. If the males protest, they are branded as terrorists.”

“We are forced to live like prisoners. We have to go to our houses after being checked. We have to go out after being checked. The houses are on the verge of collapse. However we do not have permission to bring in a bag of cement or a rafter. I feel that this is the only village where we cannot take a bag of cement or a rafter,” Ratnasingham Kaushalya says.

S. Mayurini – Linga Nagar

“We too would love to build a nice proper house and live well. However the Government is treating us as if we are from a different land. Whatever the decision of the Courts, a situation has now arisen where we cannot live in freedom even within our houses. We cannot protest since the Government would say that we are Tigers and that we are picketing asking for the Army to be moved out. There is no such issue here. It was Mr. Parami Kulatunga of the Army who asked us to settle down in these lands. Now, why do they treat us like this…If they ask us to go from these lands, give us alternative lands…… or just kill us.”

We inquired from the Trincomalee District Secretary regarding the deferment by the Government in connection with the problem of the illegal residents of Linga Nagar. Her comments are as follows

“Although the Army promised to hand over 15 acres to the illegal residents, at the Courts, this land belongs to the Government. The Army is a Government organization. This has to be approved by the Government Lands Commissioner. But we were prepared to provide lands, not only to 54 families but 98 families in accordance with the decision of the Courts. Then another group of people from Linga Nagar objected to lands being given to these people. What they said was, if we were going to give lands, then to give everyone and if not, not to do so for everybody. As a result this issue has been dragging on. Now, the Army is saying that they need this land for an Army Training Camp.

The Army has informed the Government Agent in writing. That is why I told them to inquire from the Government Agent. It is because I, was not the one who received that letter. However, we have informed the Area  Lands Commissioner in writing to make a decision immediately, as there is a decree from the Courts, ordering us to provide 54 families with lands. We will act in the future, in accordance with the decision he makes,” she said.

Although, according to the District Secretary, ninety eight names have been recommended for land to be allotted,  consistent with the list of names, issued by the Courts on October 17, 2006, File No. 2/4/2/Reg./166 and displayed by the District Secretariat Office only 54 names are included. It is now of concern, who will enter the remaining forty eight names and who will be in possession of the list of names.

“We of course are unaware of a list of 98 names. We only have the list with 54 names on it,” Mohan Kushanthan says.

Mangalanath Liyanaarachchi

Siri  Hettige

Professor of Sociology

University of Colombo

Education is recognized the world over as a means of achieving wider social and economic objectives. Modern education systems are designed in such a way as to facilitate the achievement of such wider objectives.  On the one hand, we provide  youngsters with a basic education that enables them to fit into a society that is based on modern ideas and values so that they eventually become active citizens of a modern state. It is also in the context of general education that some of the traditional divisions in society are relegated to the background making it possible for young members of society to forge bonds that transcend their primordial identities.

On the other hand, education is also widely accepted in modern societies as a means of imparting knowledge and skills that are vital for social and economic development. Such knowledge and skills can range from very basic social skills to sophisticated scientific knowledge needed to address complex problems at different levels in diverse spheres.

In order for the education system to play the two vital functions mentioned above, education planners and policy makers have to develop and manage educational institutions on a rational basis. In other words, they have to ask the question whether our institutions are operating in such a way as to help us to achieve these objectives. This question pertains to both the education system as a whole as well as to its constituent parts at different levels.

When the education system does not function in a desirable manner it gives rise to various problems that have implications beyond the education system. This does not mean that the problems emanating from the education system can be dealt within the confines of the education system itself. 

When we examine the country’s education system today, it is doubtful whether it fulfills the expectations in many of the areas mentioned earlier. The dominant tendency within the system continues to be to provide educational certificates to youth. Overwhelming pre-occupation is with examinations at the expense of skill development and citizenship education.

The result is that many students continue to move up the educational ladder without necessarily acquiring the diverse skills mentioned above. For instance, the ability to use a language in an effective manner is not always found among those who have reached higher levels of educational attainment.

It is also common knowledge that many educated youth do not have much needed social skills. These skills are required in our daily lives whether at a work place or in a community setting or even in a household.  Inter-personal communication, leadership and negotiating skills, public relations, decision making skills etc. come to our mind in this regard. There are also more specific skills that are needed in many work situations.

Even a manual labourer working in the construction sector can benefit from the kind of training he or she has received from a general education, provided that the school system is equipped with the resources needed to provide the desired skills.  

As regard citizenship, general education system should provide opportunities for children and youth to interact, exchange ideas and learn about each other across primordial divisions of caste, religion and ethnicity. On the other hand, this could happen only when there is a common language of communication. Many people used English as a link language in the past. Those who were upwardly mobile then had to learn English in order to get into newly established bureaucracies and modern professions such as law and medicine.

The repeal of English as the official language and the introduction of swabhasha education in schools and universities after independence resulted in a gradual abandoning of English as a second language. As a result, most of the educated youth in the country became monolingual. This was particularly so at lower levels of the social hierarchy where children had no opportunities to learn English outside the education system. The general education system became segregated on ethno-linguistic lines. This situation prevented children and youth belonging to different ethno-linguistic communities from interacting across community boundaries. While they continued to form their own separate identities, little or no opportunities were available for inter-cultural learning and the formation of a broader national identity, a pre-condition for national integration. The country’s ethnic problem has become almost intractable at least partly due to the wide gap between ethnic communities created by the language barrier.

Swabasha education was introduced with good intentions. Learning in the mother tongue was widely accepted as the most desirable option for children in the formative years. Learning in a foreign language can lead to alienation of children from their own culture, society and history. Yet, the educationists at the time felt that it was necessary to translate material available in other languages into local languages. Hence, the decision to establish the Educational Publications Department under the Ministry of Education.

Though some important publications were translated into local languages in the initial years, not more than a fraction of the vast body of literature became available in local languages. The situation has become worse in recent years due to the fact that the translation of books into Sinhala and Tamil became almost impossible for want of competent translators and financial resources. Today, most of the books available in our university libraries are in English but most of our students can hardly read them!

If the students cannot read the books available in the libraries, how can they acquire new knowledge? The inability to use a second language is a major handicap for most students in schools as well as in the universities. The knowledge of a second language among the country’s youth is so low that even many English teachers are not competent to teach the language. Unable to read original texts, most students are almost totally dependent on rote learning and a few publications available in local languages. How can such students excel in their studies and reach a high level of academic achievement?

We are living at a time when economic and social development in the country demands highly competent professionals and skilled human resources. The fast expanding service industries and technology based production requires people with the ability to learn new skills rapidly. Access to information and knowledge available on the internet depends largely on language skills. Have we been able to equip our younger generation with such language skills? In spite of repeated appeals, I made to authorities, to address this issue without further delay, our leaders and educational authorities continue to be silent on the issue. While it is urgent to develop and implement an effective national action plan with the support of donors and others, the authorities seem to be preoccupied with trivial procedural issues like school admissions and distribution of computers to schools, both of which can he easily delegated to officials in the ministry.  

People in this country remember some of the past leaders who had a vision and the capacity to address critical issues. Others have just come and gone. The country’s education system is beset with a number of serious structural problems. The language issue is one. Another is the ‘persisting diploma disease’ that prevents children from acquiring much needed skills and basic competencies.

These problems have far reaching consequences beyond the education system. It is unfortunate that we do not have leaders in the country who are capable of comprehending the complexity of the issues and the need to resolve them in a reasonable manner, within a reasonable period of time.