The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the Answer to the Question raised under Standing Order 27(2) by Hon. Sivagnanam Shritharan is as follows:

¶ 02 1. Under the current History syllabus, content relating to Tamil national rulers is included. In Grade 10, Lesson 7 contains a section on Jaffna and the Vanniyars; and in Grade 10, Lesson 10, there is a section on the Jaffna Kingdom including the period of the Sankili rulers. Under the new education reforms, the Grade 6 textbook includes a picture of King Sankili’s royal palace.

¶ 03 2. History is taught as a single subject; we do not segregate learning and teaching as “Sinhala History” and “Tamil History.” We teach Sri Lankan History, and within that, rulers and polities across different periods.

¶ 04 As the principal institution preserving and exhibiting Sri Lanka’s history, the Department of National Museums has provided space to display Tamil history:

¶ 05 - At the Colombo Museum’s Stone Antiquities Gallery, four Tamil rock inscriptions and two slab inscriptions are on display. These were set up by representatives here of the North Indian imperial Rajaraja and Rajendra, and by the Arya Chakravarti rulers of the North. - A detailed book on Tamil inscriptions in the Colombo National Museum, authored by Prof. S. Pathmanathan, is available and sold by the Department’s Publications Division. - Numerous stone and metal images and statues associated with the Hindu religion, including of Shiva, Parvati and Sundaramurti, are exhibited at the Colombo National Museum. - A collection of Setu coins used by the Jaffna Kingdom is preserved by the Department of National Museums. - The Colombo National Museum preserves a scholarly work on Chola and Pandya coins of the Sangam age by Dr. Krishnamurthy and Senarath Wickramasinghe. - Various related articles have been published in the Department’s books and journals. - Additionally, relevant documents—20 boxes of palm-leaf manuscripts—are deposited under Jaffna Kachcheri Record Series 20.

¶ 06 4. The Art subject comprises practical creations, activities and the study of exemplary works, with attention to international standards and competencies across all peoples and faiths. In reforming Art education, special attention has been paid to provide opportunities to study both traditional and modern works. Traditional works selected include those from Sri Lanka, India and Europe across periods, focusing on artistic features.

¶ 07 For example, the new Art curriculum includes works from the Indus Valley, Gupta, Pallava, Chola, Mughal and Rajput periods in India, and examines how these influenced Sri Lankan creations. It also includes features reflecting the influence of South Indian art, such as the Polonnaruwa Siva Devalaya and Hindu iconography, and how such influences led to changes in Buddhist art forms.