Letter

Rewriting free education history sad

Some young members of the United National Party often state in the media that Dr C W W Kannangara initiated the Free Education system during the UNP regime. It is an utterly false comment.

The Bill of Free Education was passed in the State Council in 1945 before the United National Party was formed under the leadership of D S Senanayake. The party was also then sarcastically known as Uncle Nephew Party.

What I have heard from elderly citizens was that Dr Kannangara had to overcome numerous obstructions and impediments from the aristocratic, feudalistic and egotistic members of the assemblage of the State Council in presenting the Bill at the State Council. They wanted to perceive education as an exclusive right of those with vested interests.

Minister of Home Affairs A Ratnayake in first UNP regime, along with other progressives in the Council, zealously supported Dr Kannangara.

Nevertheless, we should not forget the contributions of Sir John Kotalawala to Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala and the Amarasuriyas to Buddhist education.

It is true that he subsequently became a member of the UNP.

Although the United National Party won the first ever parliamentary general election held in 1947, Dr Kannangara who contested the Agalawatta electorate on the UNP ticket was defeated by philanthropic politician, Wilmot A Perera of the LSSP and consequently Dr Nugawela became the Education Minister. Hence it is clearly evident that the UNP has no right whatsoever to lay claim to the initiation of Free Education in Sri Lanka.

Dr Kannangara won the Mathugama electorate and was returned to Parliament in 1952. But he was appointed as the Minister of Local Government in the Dudley Senanayake's Cabinet. He was not entrusted with the deserving portfolio of Education as if a virtual punishment meted out to him for introducing Free Education in Sri Lanka. Every Sri Lankan, dead, alive or to be born in Sri Lanka are indebted to the father of Free Education Dr Kannangara for bestowing a precious gift which paved the way for broadening and enlightening the minds of the unprivileged masses thereby eliminating ignorance and obscurity from society to a great extent. Distortion or re-writing the history of any achievement or event is most unwelcome.

R D P Guanwardena, Kalutara