Another sign of normality

One of the biggest casualties of the three decade long war without doubt was the education sector in the North. Schools functioned only in name and even if they did it would be an understatement to say that given the cataclysmic events the children were in the right frame of mind to pursue any educational activities. In the schools that functioned in Tiger territory the classroom content also included LTTE induced subjects. Students were cut off the mainstream education and martial topics were forced down their throats. This indeed was a travesty considering the academic flair displayed by the Northerner in the past.

The people of the North from the days of yore laid great store in education. Living in a harsh climate and with limited facilities compared to their counterparts in the South they made optimum use of the weapon of education to even the balance. They considered education as a passport for upward mobility and a means to conquer new heights. Some of the leading lights in the country’s civil service and the professions in the past were products from the North. They served the country with honour and distinction in an era marked by communal harmony where everybody worked for the common good of the country.

Indeed we were fortunate to have had the services of these professionals and civil servants from the North who were known for their industry and drive who worked in unison with their Sinhala colleagues. Sadly the events that followed broke this common bond between the two communities and it is time that all measures are taken to revisit the past and heal the wounds, now that a golden opportunity has presented itself with the dawn of a new independence.

In fact this healing process is already seen in many spheres bringing together both communities. All restrictions imposed during the war are gradually being lifted. There is now free travel to and from the North allowing free access for trade and other transactions. The ban on fishing have been lifted and the combatants rehabilitated and united with their parents and loved ones.

The latest beneficiary is the vital education sector already mentioned. According to our front page report in yesterday’s edition, schools located within the High Security Zones are to be vested back allowing for the resumption of educational activities. The first such school, the Vasavilan Central College, in the Palali High Security Zone was handed back to the students yesterday at a function attended by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. This school was one of the first Central Colleges to be set up under the Father of Free Education Dr C W W Kannangara.

According to the report when the HSZs were declared in Palali in 1990 the school was closed and temporarily functioned in Urumbiray in Jaffna. It will now resume activities at its original location after 20 years. The ADB has already allocated Rs 60 million for the development of the school.

This augers well for the upliftment of the education sector in the North which was dealt a body blow during the war years. It also signifies a gradual restoration of the status quo and the acceleration of the normalization process.

This shrinking of the HSZs also signals the gradual dismantling of the entrenched military structure paving the way for normalcy and integrating the North with the islandwide schools network.

The authorities handling education should lose no time in equipping these schools with all the facilities in order to garner the optimum results. No doubt the fast transforming Northern landscape will allow for a congenial atmosphere for students to pursue their academic activities and produce the same high quality talent as in the past.

It is a matter for gratification that the government has allowed the talents of these youth to blossom out by restoring for them their fundamental right to education that was rudely disrupted by the war. The country is in need of a rich pool of talent in the present context where it has embarked on a massive post war development. It is also the wish of the President that this talent should come from within the country.

Now that the education system is set to establish itself firmly in the North and be fully functional before long, one could expect professionals and other geniuses emerging from these schools to lend their expertise in the national cause.