The Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan

¶ 01 Question by Private Notice

¶ 02 Inclusion of History of Tamil Kings in School Curriculum

¶ 03 Hon. Speaker, under Standing Order 27(2), I wish to question the Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya.

¶ 04 In Sri Lanka, as with Sinhalese, Tamils are an indigenous people of this island with historical foundations predating Vijaya. Long before his arrival, the Nagas and Tamils lived here with their own rulers. The Mahavamsa notes various aspects; during Portuguese, Dutch and British rule, when they subjugated this land, Tamils bravely resisted. Especially in the North and East, Tamil polities existed, and rulers like Sankili (Cankili), Pandara Vanniyan and Pararajasekaran fought for the homeland; women rulers like Nallanaachchi (Nallanaachiyar) also sacrificed. Like Anagarika Dharmapala and R. B. Jayawardena who later struggled for their communities, Arumuga Navalar strove to protect Saivism and Tamil.

¶ 05 However, the national curriculum has systematically obscured Tamil history. In subjects such as History and Art, the names of Tamil kings and period symbols have been deliberately erased. In the 1970s, inscriptions and records were at least mentioned; after the free textbook scheme in the 1980s, Tamil history has been systematically hidden and removed from textbooks. Using the war years, the histories of Tamil rulers like Sankili, Pandara Vanniyan, Nallanaachiyar and Ellalan have been expunged. I ask whether the Minister is aware and pose these questions: 1. Will the histories of Tamil rulers who fought for the freedom of Sri Lanka be included in textbooks? 2. What prevents separate recognition within the History curriculum for Tamil history? 3. Are Tamil historical symbols, inscriptions and ola manuscripts preserved safely in this country? 4. Can you ensure that the histories of rulers like Sankili, Pandara Vanniyan, Nallanaachiyar and Ellalan are included in Tamil, History and Art subjects?