Referendum for Extention of Parliament Thondaman

10 Thursday 17th January, 2008 by Prof. Wiswa Warnapala Minister of Higher Education in a cycle of events, under (A recent lecture) which there was an over-produc- The problems tion of Arts graduates, and the Continued from yesterday process still continues. Though he educational policy of the system expanded due to the colonies, as J. E. political pressure, public policy TGoldthorpe explained, was initiatives were not taken to to provide primary education for of the break-away from the traditional the maximum number of chil- mould of the colonial university, dren while the needs of the high- and both teaching and research er levels of education were began to deteriorate due to the restricted to an elite. The absence of central policy of University College was a hybrid University change and development. institution which fell short of a The unitary model of the fully-fledged autonomous University, which Sri Lankan University. The University Universities inherited since the College was under the Executive establishment of the University Committee of Education in the System in of Ceylon in 1942, proved inap- State Council (1931-46), which,, propriate to meet the multiple in effect, meant that it was demands of economic and social under a form of political control. development of an independent With regard to this matter, Faculty of Art, University of Colombo State; the Universities, which, Jennings wrote that 'nobody who Sri Lanka came on the scene in the subse- knew anything of university tra- quent years, were expected to ditions could justify an organiza- university at Peradeniya with an increasing demand for higher the fact that the University of tional institutions of learning make changes with a view to tion controlled by seven politi- intake of nearly one thousand education. In the post-war period Ceylon produced English-educat- created in 1873 and 1875 respec- making higher education more cians'. The transformation of an students; the intake in 1942 was there was a marked growth in ed graduates who dominated the tively to promote Buddhist responsive to country's needs institution, which functioned as 904 students, and it reached 2718 the demand for education at all professions and the public learning in the country. Though and the changing labour market. a Government Department, into in 1957. levels, primary, secondary and administrative institutions. It they were converted into modem Since the system remained total- an independent autonomous Today the entire intake to 15 higher education. The demand was the view of the critics that Universities by an Act of ly public sector oriented, the institution was no easy task, and Universities is in the region of for education is based upon the the University did not become Parliament, the traditional changes and the forms of diver- it was to be converted into a 19000, and the reason for the size of the child population, and the focal point of culture and influences began to guide the sification were not effected in national university. increased intake could be linked there was a marked decline in learning. In other words, it development of these institu- such a way so as to see that both Jennings, as his autobiogra- to the Free Education scheme, infant mortality due to various remained an exclusive institutions in their initial phase, and quality and relevance guide the phy reveals, planned an elitist - under which the opportunities improvements in health care. tion and admitted too few stu- they, in a variety of ways, fol- entire process of change. It is oriented university on the basis were expanded for those aspir- With free education, the enroll- dents. Jennings, for instance, lowed the model of the this aspect which needs immedi- of 'the Oxbridge model, and the ing to enter the Universities. The ment rates began to increase, never wanted the intake to go- University of Ceylon, including ate investigation and adjustment University was made exclusively implementation of the and the system of mass educa- beyond 5000, and the Peradeniya the curricula which came to be if the Sri Lankan Universities residential. It was this residen- Government policy on the medi- tion became an important social was to accommodate this num- dominated by traditional disci- are to function as effective insti- tial character, especially with its um of instruction too had an function. The expansion of edu- ber as a residential University. plines in the Humanities and tutions of learning. It was why I unique features implanted at immediate effect on the question cation brought many a benefit to The Governments of the period Social Sciences. The majority of traced the history in order to Peradeniya, which created of increased admissions to the all social classes, and it was seen were forced to provide universi- the students, who sought show that the Universities, in numerous problems for the both University. In addition to the pol- as an, index of social mobility ty education for thousands of entrance to Universities came some form or other, remains in the policy-maker and adminis- icy measures such as the Free and social emancipation. Despite school - leavers educated in the from the rural areas, offered the traditional mould, because trators of the Universities in Sri Education and the medium of such developments, the system medium of national languages, subjects related to the estab- of which innovative changes Lanka. It was along with the cre- instruction, there were social of higher education remained and the populist political forces, lished traditional disciplines, could not be made to convert ation of the University of and political pressures which skewed in favour of the estab- championing the cause of these for instance, Sinhalese, Pali, them into centres of learning Ceylon that the Free Education demanded an expansion of lished elite who were left with young men and women, demand- Sanskrit, Buddhist Studies, and research. Both teaching and scheme came to be enacted in opportunities for higher educa- the key to a wider world of ed the expansion of more access Philosophy and Ceylon History. research focused on traditional 1945 by the State Council, and tion. Two important concepts knowledge, culture and political to university education. It was Occasionally, there were stu- disciplines, and it undoubtedly the impact of this social demand immediately became casualties and commercial opportunities. It in this context that the two dents offering Western History, made an impact on the early model of education, with which in the process; the residential was in this scenario that the Buddhist centres of learning, Geography and Government. development of the Sri Lankan secondary schools expanded, principle and the elite-orienta- University of Ceylon became the Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara There was no attempt to diversi- intellectual enterprise. came to be felt in the country. tion came under attack; changes object of criticism by the emerg- Pirivenas were converted into fy the courses in the Jennings planned a residential were required to meet the ing nationalist elite because of Universities; they were tradi- Universities, and this resulted Continued tomorrow by Dr. Wimal 1994, he became a National List Sripathy, formed the SLFP (M) and 73 for it and had The first by-election from one exceptional case. One was Wickramasinghe MP from the UNP. When the alliance, and joined hands with Thondamon voted with the gov- 1977 was held on November 11, resignation of Ronnie de Mel, party led by President the UNP, while being Members ernment, the votes would have 1977, for Dehiwala consequent Minister of Finance and Continued from yesterday Chandrika Kumaratunga won of Parliament as well as mem- been even, resulting in the upon death of S de S Planning, from the Devinuwara the general election of 2000, bers of the SLFP. Speaker voting for the govern- Jayasinghe, Minister of seat, but within one day of his he two suspects, Susantha Anura was unanimously S Thondaman Factor ment and saving it. He held the Fisheries, and his daughter, resignation, Ronnie de Mel was Punchinilame (Ratnapura appointed as Speaker of The saga of political same position as Appointed MP Sunethra Ranasinghe, won it nominated as the new MP for TDistrict) and Mahinda Parliament as from October 18, crossovers is a never-ending from 1965 to 1970. He was not in comfortably. The by-election Bulathsinhala consequent upon Ratnatilake (Ratnapura 2000 until October 1, 2001. thing, prompted by various rea- Parliament during 1970 and 1977 was held for Colombo West that resignation of O S Perera from District), indicted in the case Thereafter, he contested the sons, some on matters of policy but President J R, after an invi- necessitated owing to J R the seat. involving the alleged assassina- Gampaha District in 2004 on the – a rare occurrence now unlike tation extended to him, appoint- Jayawardene resigning from A need arose for effecting an tion of Nalanda Ellawala, MP UPFA ticket, having rejoined in the early fifties, and others ed him to the Cabinet as Parliament to assume the office amendment to the 1978 for the Ratnapura District, both the SLFP. After the general elec- for enjoyment of ministerial Minister of Rural Industrial of President and it was Anura Constitution (5th Amendment) becoming non-cabinet minis- tion of 2004, he first became portfolios and other perks, Development on September 7, Bastian of the UNP who won it for holding of the by-elections ters, Susantha as Deputy Minister of Industries, Tourism including alleged involvement 1978 which post he held until on March 21, 1978. The third one – passed by Parliament on Minister of Public Estate and Investment Promotion from in grafts. To go back into the August 1994. Again, he was was on December 20, 1979 for February 24, 1983 to enable by- Management and Development April 10, 2004 and then as past, the most notable character made Minister of Livestock the Galle seat as the sitting election where seats in and Ratnatilake as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and after other Tamil cabinet minis- Development and Rural member, D G Albert Silva was Parliament were not filled Minister of Textiles in Tourism from August 22, 2005.

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