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Continue the commitment to education

The Government's continuing commitment to the expansion of educational facilities and infrastructure is bound to win the ready approval of those sections of the public which attach prime importance to learning and the sustained development of our human resources.

Particularly laudable are President Kumaratunga's initiatives for the further extension of the Tertiary Education sector which impacts directly on the life prospects of those sections of our youth who aspire to a fruitful graduate and post-graduate education.

Among the more notable initiatives by the President in the higher and Tertiary Education field, is the allocation of Rs. 1,000 million for the establishment of a university in the Uva Province and the provision of Rs. 91.1 million for the development of the Koneshapuri campus of the Eastern University, in Trincomalee. Equally gratifying are plans to set up a National Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences.

In a related development, a program has been launched by the Education Ministry to improve the skills of primary school teachers in the detection of children with learning and other difficulties. This program will help greatly in enhancing the quality of the education imparted to our primary and secondary students.

We have done well to institutionalise "free education" in this country, but it should be our endeavour also to effect qualitative improvements in the education provided to the younger generation, rather than be complacent over the numbers who are being rendered "literate". For instance, there is a pressing need to improve the scientific and mathematical skills of our primary and secondary students. The early detection of learning difficulties will enable students to take on Science and Mathematics more confidently.

Coming back to higher and Tertiary Education, it is amply evident that more and more opportunities at these levels of education need to be provided to our students. This is particularly true of students suffering deprivations on account of financial constraints.

Thus the Uva, one of our poorest provinces, would warmly welcome the prospect of, at last, having a university of its own. It is our belief that every student who acquires the minimum qualifications for higher education should be provided this great boon. The current initiatives could serve this worthy cause.

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A national treasure

The Jaffna library housed thousands of books, mostly in Tamil, until it was torched by marauding thugs in 1981. There were many rare volumes that virtually amounted to a treasure trove of Tamil culture. But all these priceless books went up in flames, along with the library building. There are only a few crimes worse than burning books, after all.

The Library has now been restored and opened for the use of Jaffna citizens. The restoration commenced in 1997 under the supervision of a committee appointed by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, co-chaired by Ministers Lakshman Kadirgamar and Mangala Samaraweera. Their persistent efforts to rebuild this Jaffna landmark are appreciated by all right thinking citizens.

The 30,000 volumes in the interim library have now been transferred to the main library, managed by the Municipal Council of Jaffna. But there is a lot more to be done. The library still needs thousands of books to complete its collection, which stood at well over 90,000 when the flames gutted the magnificent edifice.

Kadirgamar, the Minister in charge of the Jaffna Library, is striving to achieve this goal. The Minister has met the Jaffna Librarian to gain an idea of the library's needs. The Minister also held a discussion with the British Library officials a few days ago, as a result of which it has agreed to assist in planning the future development of the Jaffna Library and to make available the services of experts.

Earlier, Minister Kadirgamar discussed the Jaffna Library with British Council authorities in Colombo who have agreed to furnish the services of their Regional Librarian based in New Delhi for advice on the development of the Jaffna Library.

The US Government too is assisting the Jaffna library project. It had gifted in 1998 to the Jaffna library a microfiche collection drawn from the Library of Congress of certain newspapers, including the Morning Star, which had been published in Jaffna since 1841. This collection will be sent to the Jaffna Library by the Embassy at the end of October. A film on the Jaffna Library has also been commissioned for the international campaign seeking more assistance to the library.

This should hopefully attract more attention towards this worthy cause.

The Jaffna Library is a national treasure. It must be recalled that during a previous campaign for the renovation of the Jaffna Library, people from all communities and religious groups generously contributed books and donations. The Jaffna library, restored to its previous glory, will be a monument to ethnic harmony and peace.

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