Free Education proposals and tuition

Text of the Dr C W W Kannangara Memorial Lecture - 22 by Prof. A. V. Suraweera held at National Institute of Education, Maharagama on

October 13, 2011

Much has been said about Dr Kannangara, the education visionary and social reformer who was instrumental in bringing about equality of opportunity through revolutionary changes in our education system. As chairman of the Executive Committee on Education and Minister in the State Council from 1931 to 1947, Christopher William Wijekoon Kannangara was responsible for paving the path towards a ‘knowledge society’ at a time when such terminology was not even within use in the vocabulary.

Dr. C W W Kannangara

By way of a preamble to this talk, I wish to record two of my personal experiences, not unrelated to our topic. One was the official inauguration of the Minuwangoda Central School in 1944 where my father and I had the fortune of participating with my sister who was admitted as one of the scholarship holders. Having passed the scholarship examination from my village school, a Buddhist assisted school situated adjoining our home, she was admitted to Year Six of the Minuwangoda Central with free board and lodging, in addition to a monthly allowance of Rs 20.

I still remember the inspiring address given by the chief guest Dr C W W Kannangara, the Minister of Education who talked of his education reforms including the free education scheme and the Central Schools project, his own creation. Incidentally my sister continued her studies at Minuwangoda to enter the University (Peradeniya) with all facilities as a scholarship holder.

The following year, 1945 October, free education was introduced and my family was relieved of another burden of paying my school fees of Rs 7.50 monthly in the SSC class at the Government English School, Gampaha. Next year after a supplementary entrance test I had the fortunate of getting selected to Royal College, Colombo, thanks to free education. I must proudly mention that we were a low-income village family with five brothers and two sisters now all doing well in life having benefited from free education.

Going through the list of ‘distinguished educationists’ who have so far delivered the Kannangara Memorial Lectures, I must record that it is with profound humility that I perform this honourary task. By way of overcoming this dilemma, I am tempted to select a topic within my scope while at the same time do justice to the great man. My experience as a Senior Professor and training in literary and socio-cultural fields give me confidence in analyzing a given text placed in a given context and make meaningful observations. It is in this background that I have decided on a rather uninspiring topic, namely, ‘Dr Kannangara’s Free Education Proposals in relation to the subsequent expansion of the Tuition Industry.”

I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to my good friend Professor Abeyaratne Banda, Director General, NIE and its staff of Research, Planning and Development Division for giving me this unique opportunity to deliver the Dr C W W Kannangara Memorial Lecture 2011.

My presentation will consist of two parts. In part one, I propose to analyze the relevant sections dealing with the Free Education proposals as enunciated in the Report of the Special Committee on Education, Sessional paper XXIV – 1943, the architect of which was obviously Dr Kannangara himself. Part two will deal with the tuition industry which has now developed into a challenge to the present formal education system. It is interesting to note that Kannangara himself had expressed his thoughts on this subject.

Personal experiences

I do not propose to give a biographical sketch of Dr Kannangara as most previous lecturers had done, except to record certain experiences in his life that would have influenced his entire outlook. The first was a bitter experience from Richmond.

“I speak from bitter experience. I was selected as a scholar of Richmond College, after a competitive examination. I came out first in the exam and I won this scholarship. In my college there were three classes of boarders. In one the charge was Rs 25 and this class was composed of the sons of the very rich.

As an ‘upper class’ they dined with the teachers. In the second class the charge was Rs 15. Those who dined with the teachers were given two courses while those who paid Rs 15 received only one course. I was put amongst those who paid Rs 10, the lowest class. I saw these other children receiving better food and better treatment, and yet to this day the fact that I received free education at this College is flung in my face. I certainly did receive free education, but this ‘stigma’ has stuck for life.”

On another occasion he had poured out his feelings thus:

“What do X and Y know of poverty as I know it? To sleep on a mat on a bare floor and have only rice and sambol to eat. I must see that village boys get a better chance in life than I had.”

What an unassuming personality Kannangara was, a Minister of the State Council at that, to be so modest as to make such a genuine statement!

Prof. A. V. Suraweera

Kannangara’s family background, the painful experiences he had as a child and more so, the juxtaposed socio-religious situations he faced in school and outside, certainly, would have convinced him that a revolutionary reformist attitude in education was the need of the day in order to bring about a national revival for the creation of a united Sri Lanka where human justice prevailed.

Recognition of services

While discussions on proposals on free education and those pertaining to secondary education were going on, Kannangara’s attention was drawn towards the creation of the University as well. Among other problems, ‘battle of sites’ was prominent. Whether the university was to be sited around Kandy or Colombo had been a topic of argument. Though Kannangara favoured Colombo, with his modest outlook, he had bowed to the majority opinion and finally agreed on Peradeniya. Things had moved fast after Ivor Jennings had assumed duties as Principal of the University College. And finally as Minister of Education with all his tact and diplomacy, he was able to get the bill passed establishing the University of Ceylon which came into operation on July 1, 1942. This was at a time when the country was undergoing a period of acute economic depression resulting from the World War II.

At the very first convocation of the University, held on October 14, 1942, Kannangara was conferred the Honorary Degree of LLD. Since then this unassuming man came to be called Dr C W W Kannangara. At that time there was only one University and no other for him to be conferred further honours.

However, after the establishment of the Vidyodaya (now Sri Jayewardenepura University), he was conferred with another Honorary Degree, this time a D.Litt in 1961. That was not all. It is said that the honorary title of Shasthra Sri Vardana Vaageesvara was conferred by the Malvatta Chapter of the Siamese Sector in 1947. When the buildings of the Peradeniya University were completed, the residential halls were named after national leaders and benefactors of the university, viz D B Jayatilaka Hall, Ramanathan Hall, Hilda Obesekera Hall. Recently there was a controversy about dedicating a hall to Ivor Jennings as well. Strangely enough it has not occurred to anyone to remember the name of C W W Kannangara.

Kannangara’s diplomacy

To go back to the Report of the Special Committee on Education, Sessional Paper XXIV-1943, one feels amazed at his visionary insight in bringing about a unified national system of education ensuring equality of opportunity for every one irrespective of all social differences.

I would like first to discuss the nature of the Committee itself and its deliberations which themselves speak eloquently of its chairman Dr. Kannangara. The original committee appointed in 1940 consisted of certain members of the Executive Committee on Education to which others were co-opted from time to time until finally there were 18 members in all consisting of powerful figures belonging to different races, religious groups etc. The deliberations continued for three years. There had been discussions, arguments and disagreements on diverse areas of education. Members had enjoyed free expression of thought.

The democratic atmosphere that prevailed is evident even from the Riders and Dissents attached to the report including a rider from the chairman himself, an indication of his democratic attitude. Not a single member had expressed direct opposition to the policy of Free Education. A few members had wished that further discussions were desirable while some had thought that the proposal be implemented in stages.

However, all members had signed the Report except one, namely W. Ivor Jennings. He had given reasons for refraining from signing. What interests us is the fact that he himself had willingly agreed to the concept of free education. We shall have occasion to refer to the dissent of Ivor Jennings again.

To be continued