Seventy years on, whither Kannangara Central Colleges?

Dr. P. G. Nandadeva

Up until the early 1940s, Education was a privilege enjoyed by a small section of population mostly urban and financially capable of paying for it. Schools were single sex, situated in Colombo and a few major towns outside, established and managed by religious organizations. The only form of learning available to rural population was in Pirivenas or small vernacular schools which imparted only some proficiency in the mother tongue.

Dr C. W. W. Kannangara was appointed Minister for Education in the State Council in 1931. Himself a poor child from a village, was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to Richmond College, Galle which gave him free education with accommodation in the College hostel. As Minister and Head of the Education Reform Committee, he was determined to ensure free education to every able child in the country, irrespective of cast, creed, religious belief or financial status. Despite widespread opposition from the elite and even his colleagues in the State Council, he was able to get the Bill on Free Education passed. Thus came the Central Colleges into existence. The plan was to establish a Central School in each Electorate. These were to be Mixed Secondary Schools with classes from Grade VI up to University Entrance with an Aptitude test at Grade VIII which channeled students to different streams such as Science, Arts, Commerce etc.

Extra curricular activities

The medium of instruction was to be English particularly in the Science stream. The first Central College was started at Matugama followed by several others in quick succession. By 1947, there were 54 Central Colleges in all. The Principals were specially selected young graduates of British Universities (products of the City Private Schools) and were given the task of developing the new brand of schools under their management in the same lines as their Alma Mater. Teaching staff comprised mostly of trained teachers with additional skills which, played an important part in the development of various extra curricular activities and sports.

In the early stages the Central School operated in the existing buildings of a vernacular school and later moved in to properly planned premises consisting of classrooms, Assembly Hall, Science Laboratories, Work Shops for Carpentry, Metal Work and various other manual skills together with boy's and girl's hostels, Principal's quarters and accommodation for teachers. Playgrounds for various sports and at times small Gymnasia were integral units of the school. These new schools were located in spacious lands in the heart of an electorate, with easy access. Admission to Grade VI was on the results of an Admission Test for all 10 year olds of the area.

Dearth of qualified teachers

In addition there was a Scholarship Examination islandwide, but limited to 10 year old of economically underprivileged families. A limited number of top performers at the examination were accommodated in the Central School Hostel free and, this scholarship continued till completion of a University Degree provided the student succeeded at every examination on the first attempt. These Central Schools opened the doors for under privileged rural population to escape from depths of poverty and ignorance. The young, able and dedicated Principals, with their staff and parents rapidly got their act going and by mid 1950s, scores of children were entering the University from Central Schools in the Arts stream. Science Education took a while longer due to the dearth of qualified teachers for Advanced Level classes. By early 1960s, Central Schools began sending Science students as well, including for Medicine and Engineering. That was not all; extra curricular activities too prospered and, by about the same era these schools were producing All Island Champion Teams in many sports. This was the Golden Decade for Central Colleges.

Certain events that took place in the field of Education during the same period had significant unfavourable effects on Central Schools and marked the gradual decline. One of these was the take over of Private Schools under the Department Of Education. This endowed all the Rich and Influential 'Free Education' in the well established city schools 'By Right'. A bigger share of the Treasury Allocation for Education was channeled to these city schools, starving the central schools of funds. The not so rich rural parents, who hitherto could not afford private schools, with political and other inducements found, devious methods to have their children admitted to the so called popular schools in the City. The other event was the 'Swabhasha' policy. Students in the old private schools came from rich and often English speaking backgrounds and retained the proficiency in English, while children from rural uneducated backgrounds ended up as Sinhala or Tamil only educated. This in effect closed the doors for Postgraduate Education particularly in the Science and medical fields and, high posts as foreign service, university academics and employment overseas for rural youth. The ranks of Swabhasha educated unemployed began to rise with disastrous results.

Popular schools

In 1982 the Grade Five Scholarship became an open, islandwide competitive examination for admission to popular schools. The outcome was a rat race denying school going kids from Kindergarten onwards of their childhood experiences. High scoring students at this examination irrespective of their place of residence scrambled to enter the 'popular City Schools'. Only the second best opted for Central Schools. With all the changes in Education Policies and the shift to Open Economy, private tuition spread like wild fire and became more important than school education. Students in Central Schools and possibly in others too shunned the hostels, as getting away for private tuition was restricted for hostellers. As of today, many hostels in Central Schools are closed or patronized by a handful of junior students.

The next event was the creation of Provincial Councils and division of schools into National and Provincial. There is no uniformity with regard to Central Schools; some remain with the Central Government as National Schools while others have been allocated to the Provincial Council. These national schools have no primary classes; so no admissions on proximity to school or from feeder schools. Children of the area - many of their parents past students of the school, now have to compete at an open examination to be able to enter the local secondary school while at least half the students in the city schools are from the locality admitted under proximity to school basis consequently about 90 percent of admissions to these National Schools are on the results of the Grade Five Scholarship Examination with the majority from outside the area travelling long distances by school vans and buses. They cannot benefit or contribute to extra curricular activities of the school. Parents whose children travel long distances are unwilling or unable to allow the children to stay after school.

Local politicians

Hostellers who made up the members of most teams are no longer there leaving the school authorities unable to sustain the standards in sports leave alone improving them. The local population and the past students get only a measly opportunity to get the children admitted to their old school and consequently have a justifiable disinterest and antagonism towards these schools. The local politicians too are in the same predicament due to admission policy to Grade VI. Hence their constant battles with the school authorities. It also appears that the Central Colleges already under the Central Government are excluded from the 1,000 Secondary Schools Improvement Programme.

Those Central Colleges under the Provincial Councils would be extremely lucky if they can function without undue pressure from local politicians. What have the successive governments done to the Central Colleges created by late Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara as 'Bastions of Free Education'?

(The writer is formerly University Academic and Surgeon, Ministry of Health)