Salute to a pioneer
Yesterday marked
the birth centenary of Prof. F.R. Jayasuriya pioneer
educationist and champion of the underprivileged classes.
Many a tribute has been paid to this colossus who wrought a
revolution in the country’s education sphere by breaking the
monopoly of the elite and the privileged on higher education.
Many of our village youth who later made it to the top in the
various disciplines and professions owe their ascendency in life
to the pioneering efforts of this unique individual and true
patriot.
In fact it is his pioneering work which paved the way for
realisation of the goals of free education introduced by Dr. C.
W. W. Kannanagara. He fought tooth and nail with the colonial
establishment of the day to break the stranglehold on higher
education enjoyed by the privileged classes.
That was a time in the early 50s when the country was feeling
the first pangs of independence which saw an awakening in many
spheres such as the arts and culture. Prof. Jayasuriya took upon
the mantle of fighting for education reforms and to open
opportunities to the poor and marginalised youth, by providing
them access to higher learning.
This was no easy task since the University system was loaded
in favour of the elite and privileged sections of society.
His running battles with the Vice Chancellor of the
University of Ceylon Sir Ivor Jennings demonstrated his spirit
and resolve to break this monopoly and provide a place in the
sun to poor and underprivileged sections the benefit of a higher
education.
Prof. Jayasuriya saw through the ruse of colonial
establishment to keep away the sons and daughters of the soil
from cultivating an enlightened outlook brought about by access
to higher learning, lest this would expose the injustice and
discriminatory practices of the regime.
Not only the white colonists he even had to face the wrath of
some of our own pukka sahibs who were kowtowing to the
establishment with the same ulterior motive of keeping higher
education as an elite preserve.
At the time the University system was designed purely to
cater to the elite classes and intake was deliberately limited
so as to shut off the poor underprivileged from access to higher
education.
His indomitable spirit was always seeking ways to get around
this hurdle and when his petition to let Universities award
external degrees, to the State Council was rejected, he
pioneered his Own University (in a hall atop some shops in
Pettah) that saw the birth of the external degree in the
country’s education set up. It not only opened avenues for the
poor youth to equip them for the future but also helped those
who were left out to catch up on their education.
As stated earlier many of the country’s sons and daughters
who later went on to adorn the country’s civil service and the
professions owe their positions to this pioneering effort of
Prof. Jayasuriya. Generations of the youth to whom the
University door was shut would remember him with gratitude and
veneration for breaking the hegemonic system to favour a
privileged few.
He pioneered the use of the mother tongue in Universities and
authored the first text books in Sinhala for teaching economics
to undergraduates.
He broke through the elite bastions of education and brought
equality into the system.The country as a whole should remember
the services of pioneers such as F. R. Jayasuriya more often
lest their contribution to the nation’s evolution and progress
would be forgotten in the cacophony of the present day.
Today with the development of communication and new frontiers
breached in the field of education no thought is given to the
ground work set by patriots such F. R. Jayasuriya to provide
access to higher education to the remotest corners of the
country.
Even the teaching fraternity today behave in a manner that
does not do credit to the labour and sacrifice of this great
educationist. They engage in strikes and sabotage exam markings
which could only sully the work of these pioneers. The best
tribute one could pay to Prof. F.R. Jayasuriya is to live by his
ideals and continue his noble mission to keep his name alive for
generations more. |