Sinhala language:

‘UNESCO prediction may come true’

Mahinda P. Liyanage Galle Daily News Corr.

The Sinhala language is one of the 24 world languages that are doomed for extinction within the next 25 years, according to a UNESCO prediction on global languages and in view of the vastly deteriorating state of Sinhala there is a possibility of becoming the prophesy coming true, Prof. Nimal de Silva said.

He stated so delivering the keynote address of the 43rd commemoration of late Dr. C.W.W. Kannanagara held at Richmond College, Galle, the alma mater of late doctor who is eternally felicitated with much admiration by all Sri Lankans as the Father of Free Education of Sri Lanka for his momentous and far reaching piece of legislation - Free Education Act.

“At present we are much more pointlessly loyal to English. If this situation persists for about another nine or ten years, our children would be unable to even write the Sinhala alphabet. This alarming aggravation of the language has already manifested in our under-graduates’ writings. The hand writing of our university students are not readable. On the other hand many of the professors at present cannot teach in English medium”, Prof. Silva further reiterated. He said, today very few high-quality Sinhala books are written and in turn the children too are not used to enjoy high-rated books which indicate the decline in the language.

Late Dr. Kannanagara laid the foundation for receiving education in the mothertongue. Only through one’s mothertongue one can effectively and properly express his genuine feelings and emotions. In consequent to educational reforms introduced by Dr. Kannangara, the rural children could carry out their higher education in their mother tongue and enter the university to secure higher positions in society.

The professor further said that following the introduction of the Free Education system in Sri Lanka Dr. Kannanagara took steps to establish 54 fully fledged Central Colleges throughout the country which eliminated the inequalities of education then existing in the country and paved way for the rural children to do their studies in their mother tongue.

The winners of a series of competitions organized by the Old Boys’ Association of Richmond College in view of the 43rd Commemoration of Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara were awarded with certificates and presents on the occasion . Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal De Silva and Richmond Principal E. M. S Ekanayake also spoke.