Sri Lanka school textbooks need to adopt multiculturalism to start peace-building

1. ''This study critically examines the discursive reconstruction of ethnic hierarchies in English language
textbooks used in public schools in post-conflict Sri Lanka. Set against a social and political backdrop of
larger nation state-building and national reconciliation taking place in Sri Lanka after it ended a three-
decade ethnic conflict, this paper critically analyses English language textbooks used to prepare students
for standardised high-stake national examinations. While there are no overt instances of discrimination,
the findings of this critical discourse analysis highlights exclusion and the marginal representation of
minorities, their voices, histories and cultures.'' - The discursive construction of ethnic hierarchies in
textbooks in a time of post-conflict reconciliation, Sreemali Herath, January 2020,
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03057925.2019.1709804 

2.’’…… teachers experience little opportunity to adjust the curriculum in order to increase the peace
promoting potential of history education. This lack of peace promotion and opportunity to employ their
agency in order to promote peace, is mostly experienced by Tamil secondary history teachers.
Concludingly, it can be argued that the interplay between teachers’ restricted agency and the Sinhala
oriented formal curriculum undermines peace promotion.''  - Abstract, History Education and Peace
Promotion in Sri Lanka: The Interplay Between Teacher Agency and the Formal Curriculum, Anouk L.
Strandstra, June 2019, 
https://educationanddevelopment.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/history-education-and-peace-promotion-
in-sri-lanka-the-interplay-between-teacher-agency-and-the-formal-curriculum-4.pdf

3. ''......... This thesis argues that an ambiguity regarding the composition of the ‘Sri Lankan nation’ is being
created through history education, with it sometimes being characterised as a purely Sinhalese-Buddhist
nation instead of a multicultural one. This is most likely because the prominent players involved in the
development of the curriculum themselves appear to be conflicted about the monoethnic versus
polyethnic nature of the nation, with their views filtering through to the educational materials they
produce.'' - Abstract, PhD Thesis, Building the ‘Sri Lankan nation’ through education: The identity politics of
teaching history in a multicultural post-war society - Mihiri Saritha Warnasuriya, August
2018, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/de12/5de3113d1225ce7d863e8241a46f9bf4de99.pdf

4. ‘’ The analysis suggests that truth-seeking is weak, with no teaching about the historical roots of the
conflict or contemporary issues. There are efforts to build leadership skills and impart democratic values,
but the critical thinking and discussion skills necessary for social cohesion and active citizenship are largely
absent.’’ – The Role of School Curriculum in Sustainable Peace-building: The Case of Sri Lanka, Jeremy
Cunningham and Suren Ladd, 2018, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745499918807027

5. ’’By formally accepting and teaching that this whole country belongs to everyone and has been this way
for centuries, we will allow for an organic, long-lasting, sustainable unity.’’ - - Teach everyone's history for
reconciliation, Awahnee Mendis, 6 Dec 2018,
http://www.ft.lk/opinion/Teach-everyone-s-history-for-reconciliation/14-668227

6.''A.revision of curricula, and consequently of the books, effected in 2016 did not substantially change
their central message.  Alongside increased sensitivity around issues of multiculturalism and gender, the
most significant change characterising these new editions concerns the *omission of most direct
references to the domestic conflict and civil war.''  - Teaching peace in the midst of civil war: tensions
between global and local discourses in Sri Lankan civics textbooks, Denise Bentrovatoand Marie Nissanka,
July 2018, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14781158.2018.1505716

7.''In Sri Lanka, textbooks have long promulgated ethnic enmity. Sinhalese textbooks portrayed Sinhala
kings as heroes defeating the Tamils, who were depicted as invaders. Sinhalese Buddhists were presented
as the only true Sri Lankans (Cardozo, 2008). Six history textbooks spanning grades 7 to 11 published in
2007/8 no longer included overt Tamil stereotypes but largely brushed over Tamil history, culture and
religion and presented almost exclusively Sinhalese role models. The absence of Tamil or Muslim role
models offered minority students few figures with whom to identify. Textbooks also failed to recognize
alternative interpretations of historical events or encourage students to engage critically with the past
(Gaul, 2014).- Accountability in Education: meeting our commitments, UNESCO GEM Report, 24 October
2017, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002593/259338e.pdf
(Pl see https://www.scribd.com/document/439490519/Sri-Lanka-Textbooks-Ethnic-Conflict-and-
Education-for-Peacebuilding to find out how a wrong conclusion about a research report led to a wrong
statement about Sri Lanka in Policy Paper 28 in December 2016 by UNRSCO GEM Report – and when it was
pointed out to them in early 2017 they corrected it in this report).

8..''Sri Lanka’s history curriculum needs serious revisiting, as it perpetuates the ‘othering’ of minority
communities. .....''According to Sasanka Perera, the legend of battles between ancient kingdoms
documented in the Mahāvamsa promotes Sinhalese-Tamil antagonism, and suggests ‘a long and bloody
tradition’ between the two races. Thus the reproduction of this version of the past in the Sinhala Grade 6
history syllabus is highly problematic. It claims that the Sinhalese King Dutugemunu defeated the Tamil,
‘foreign’ ruler Elara in a war to protect Buddhism, to ‘reunite the country’ and ‘liberate the country from
foreign rule’ By contrast, the Tamil Grade 6 history syllabus cites Elara as a leader that ruled ‘with justice.’
How do the Sinhala and Tamil, Ministry of Education- sanctioned, textbooks carry such opposing
interpretations of history? '' - The Danger in Distorted Education: Sri Lanka’s History Curriculum, Shamara
Wettimuny, 29 October 2016, http://groundviews.org/2016/10/29/the-danger-in-distorted-education-sri-
lankas-history- curriculum/

9. According to UNESCO and UNICEF post-conflict peacebuilding engages with controversial material on
conflict, promotes discussion and gives students the skills to interpret the violent past. But Sri Lanka has
been avoiding it: therefore it can be said to be Passive War Education according to Education experts:
i.''In a review of 90 Grade 1-11 textbooks related to language, history, citizenship and and life
competencies, Perera(2009) found that 48 contained no references to history, ethnicity and conflict.
Conflict is addressed in textbooks but with reference to other contexts such as East Timor, Ireland, Rwanda
and Kashmir(ibid). The omission of the historical roots of its own war is described by Davies(2006) and
Cardozo(2008) as passive war education.'' - Learning peace (and conflict): the role of primary learning
materials in peacebuilding in post-war Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sri Lanka, Catherine Vanner, Spogmai
Akseer and Thursica Kovinthan, August 2016,
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17400201.2016.1213710?
scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=cjpe20
ii.Four causes of national conflicts are discussed and examples(Rwanda, South Africa, Israel/Palestine,
Russia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Middle East) are given (Sri Lanka is not considered at all) in Chapter 5, Conflict
Resolution in a Democratic Society, in 2016 syllabus textbook for Grade 10 Civic Education,
http://www.edupub.gov.lk/Administrator/English/10/civic%20G-10%20E/civic%20G-10%20E.pdf
(last checked on 30 March 2020 – First Print 2014, Second Print 2015, Third Print 2016, Fourth Print 2017
and Fifth Print 2019)

10 .On 9 November 2016 during the Festival of Arts on Reconciliation at Bandaranaike Memorial
International Conference Hall, Colombo, Sri Lanka, one teacher showed the audience hate- mongering
History in a secondary school textbook in Sinhala medium during a panel discussion.

11.‘’This article analyses how a recent series of Sri Lankan history textbooks construct and disseminate a
particular form of nationalism that is both exclusively Sinhalese and authoritarian. It argues that their use
of language and storylines perpetuates a Sinhalese-centric historical narrative that presents disputed
myths, symbols and heroes as official history. This narrative legitimises the Sinhalese claim for sovereignty
and the protection of the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka as a major goal of Sinhalese nationalism. This
article also highlights how the textbooks further encourage authoritarian patriotism, potentially mobilising
future citizens into participation in the reproduction of an exclusive and ethnocentric version of Sinhalese
nationalism.’’ - Security, Sovereignty, Patriotism—Sinhalese Nationalism and the State in Sri Lankan History
Textbooks, Anne Gaul, May 2015, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17449057.2015.1041834

12''The issues addressed in this article concern a period in which ambitious educational reforms are being
implemented that envision textbook as a tool for the creation of a new generation of citizens in a post-war
society. It reveals that the general lack of recognition of minority communities and the negative
representations of the Tamil community in particular, that appear in these textbooks are not compatible
with the proclaimed vision of a multicultural yet integrated society. Instead of following social cohesion
these textbooks may deepen ethnic divides and stereotypes and therefore thwart reconciliation and long-
term peace.'' - Where Are the Minorities? The Elusiveness of Multiculturalism and Positive Recognition in
Sri Lankan History Textbooks, Anne Gaul, 2014,
http://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/jemms/6/2/jemms060205.xml

13. ‘’Education must rise on the agenda of peace building. We know the wrong type of education can fuel
conflict. The use of education systems to foster hatred has contributed to the underlying causes of
conflicts, from Rwanda to Sri Lanka, but also in Guatemala and Sudan’’ - Why education matters for global
security, Irina Bokova(Director General, UNESCO), 1 March 2011,
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/director-general/singleview-
dg/news/education_and_security_dawn_pakistan/

14. ’’The production of single textbooks for different linguistic communities also can present difficulties.
For example, textbooks produced by Sinhalese authors in Sri Lanka were translated to produce copies for
Tamil pupils. However, the Tamil Teachers’ Union identified inaccuracies in the translated versions and
claimed cultural bias in some of the illustrations and content matter. This led to demands for greater
involvement of Tamil
authors in textbook production.’’ - Alan Smith, The influence of education on conflict and peace building,
2010, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001913/191341e.pdf

15. '' Peace education is an imperative at this stage of our national history ....'' - Justice C. G. Weeramantry
tells Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission(LLRC), 29 November 2010,
http://www.scribd.com/doc/127226195/Sri-Lanka-Justice-Weeramantry-to-Lessons-Learnt-and-
Reconciliation-Commission

16.‘’After almost 30 years of conflict, it also has to rebuild a Nation, a Sri Lankan Nation united in its
diversity, where communities and individuals feel at ease. For this, there is not much foreign friends can
do. This is the responsibility of Sri Lankan people, their political leadership, in the government and in the
opposition, and also their civil society, and this is where academics and researchers have an important role
to play, particularly those who are working in the fields of history, law, economy, sociology and political
sciences’’ - Address by Christine Robichon, Ambassador of France, at the Peradeniya University Research
Sessions (PURSE) - 2010, 16th December 2010, http://www.ambafrance-lk.org/spip.php?article839

17. ''Building a consciousness of nationhood is not a responsibility that can be left to politicians and
constitutional lawyers. .... It is pre-eminently an educational task, to be initiated at the level of our schools.
It requires a new way of looking at history, and helping young minds climb out of the constraints placed on
their understanding by the sectarian myths, legends, and memories that are embedded in their ancient
chronicles, whether they relate to their Aryan origins or to their Dravidian origins. This does not mean that
children should be ignorant of, much less that they should reject, their rich historical inheritance, but that
they should acquire a more global view of history and be equipped with a critical sense that will enable
them to stand back and look at their respective narratives more objectively. .... Unless and until Sri Lanka
can produce leaders who can realize that truth, and are willing to act on it, it will continue to be
dismembered by conflict, long after the LTTE and Pirabhikaran have passed into history '' - Why Sirimavo
refused to visit Jaffna after 1964 cyclone By Neville Jayaweera, 18 January 2009,
http://transcurrents.com/tc/2009/01/why_sirimavo_refused_to_visit.html

18. ‘’It is necessary to trace briefly the historical links between the development of the education system
and the development of an ethnic -based politics, leading to armed conflict. .... Divisions were exacerbated
by successive government policies discriminating against the Tamil minorities. .... Divisive ethnic politics
and loss of confidence in non-violent and democratic politics fuelled the desire for autonomous, separatist
solutions through the 1970s .... The Government dominates the educational publications sector in Sri Lanka
through its provision of free textbooks to all students from grade 1 to 11 .... Tamils not involved in writing
the textbooks - Textbooks written in Sinhala, and then translated into Tamil .... full of spelling, grammatical
and factual errors .... distortion of history .... the history of Sri Lanka is confined to a few selected Sinhala
kings .... the textbooks do not educate the child about the various characteristics of a multi-religious and a
multi- racial society; the majority of Sinhala medium textbooks emphasize Sinhalese Buddhist attitudes;
distorted maps under-represent North and Eastern Provinces; "geographical, social, economical or cultural
features" of Tamil communities (including the plantation sector) are not adequately discussed or
presented; in studying art, the Tamil student only studies Sinhalese Buddhist aspects of art; the textbooks
encourage children to develop "apartheid attitudes" ..... War is shown as patriotic while peace is portrayed
as cowardice’’ - Respect for Diversity in Educational Publication - The Sri Lankan Experience, Ariya
Wickrema and Peter Colenso, 2003, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-
1121703274255/1439264- 1126807073059/Paper_Final.pdf

19.‘’. ......Ethnic intolerance makes it appearance in the classroom in many ways...... Textbooks have often
been shown to contain negative ethnic stereotypes..... A review of the textbooks used in the segregated
schools of Sri Lanka in the 1970s and 1980s, for example, found Sinhalese textbooks scattered with images
of Tamils as the historical enemies of the Sinhalese, while celebrating ethnic heroes who had vanquished
Tamils in ethnic wars. Ignoring historical fact, these textbooks tended to portray Sinhalese Buddhists as the
only true Sri Lankans, with Tamils, Muslims and Christians as non- indigenous and extraneous to Sri Lankan
history. This version of national history according to one commentator, has been deeply divisive in the
context of the wider state’’ - The Two Faces of Education in Ethnic Conflict: Towards a Peacebuilding
Education for Children, Kenneth D. Bush and Diana Saltarelli(2000), http://www.unicef-
irc.org/publications/pdf/insight4.pdf

20.. ‘’As far as the Sinhala and Tamil readers are concerned, therefore, the three questions formulated at
the beginning of the study have to be answered as follows: the Tamil readers (with whatever degree of
success) do seek to create an understanding of and respect for the way of life and culture of non–Tamil
and non–Hindu linguistic and religious groups, and do attempt to project the sense of a common national
identity, while the Sinhala books not only fail to do this (except in a solitary lesson in the whole series of
ten readers) but contain an abundance of material which will strengthen communal attitudes and reinforce
communal antagonisms. ‘’ - ‘Teaching pluralism to Tamils, chauvinism to Sinhalese’, February 1999,
http://www.sabrang.com/cc/comold/feb99/cover4.htm (Excerpted from School Text Books and Communal
Relations in Sri Lanka, published by the Council for Communal Harmony Through the Media; authored by
Reggie Siriwardena, K. Indrapala, Sunil Bastian & Sepali Kottegoda).

16. ‘’The New Series raises the same fundamental problem as that posed by the Old: Why is there this
immense gulf in attitudes, outlook and objectives between the Sinhala and Tamil readers produced by the
same state institution? Why must a sense of common nationhood be taught only to Tamil children, and
why must Sinhala children be infected with a sense of Sinhala-Buddhist dominance?’’ - NATIONAL
IDENTITY, CONTENT OF EDUCATION AND ETHNIC PERCEPTIONS, Reggie Siriwardene, March 1992,
http://www.sangam.org/ANALYSIS/national_identity.htm (The text of this article is an amalgam of extracts
from two separate papers of Mr. Reggie Siriwardene, which he had presented on two different occasion at
the Marga Institute and also at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in May and August 1984
respectively).
21. “Millions of school children are taught, in the name of social studies, through text-books published by
the state, the myths of divergent racial origins which will help to divide the Sinhalese and Tamils for more
generations to come... What this lesson does is to evoke the child's memories of being frightened by his
parents with threats of the mysterious and fearful `billo' to identify these bogeymen as Tamil agents, and
thus to enlist the deep-seated irrational fears of early childhood for the purpose of creating apprehension
and hatred of Tamils.” - Reggie Siriwardene, a well-respected Sinhalese writer, in a well-documented
analysis of the effects of school textbooks on ethnic relations in Sri Lanka, 1984’’

22. In 1982 Mr Nesiah urged: '‘an inquiry not less urgent into the books, especially the history textbooks in
use in schools. If the people of the country have to learn to live together in peace (whatever the political
settlement the growing children should be freed from the prejudiced misinformation about their fellows in
other parts of the country which books (and newspapers) are seeking to give. We would do well to enter
into the mutual revision of history books which started with the call of Anatole France at the end of World
War I, ‘Burn the books which teach hatred. Burn them all.’’

23.In a paper read at a conference of the teaching of history (1957), Mr K.Nesiah, a lecturer in education,
said: ''To represent history as mainly the story of war and conflict or even as a series of political events not
merely makes history a divisive force but maybe a gross distortion. 
It becomes fateful when unscientific racial groupings example Aryans and Dravidians are imported into the
story. For example to elevate the spells of fighting between military adventurers and their small armies in
the early days of pioneering and colonisation in Ceylon into racial and national wars and to give
disproportionate place in history books to these is both bad education and bad history on the other hand
giving due place to progress in social and cultural history makes a truer role of human relationships as
essentially one of peace and cooperation. Naturally emphasis on the cultural contribution of different
groups will tend to bring them together today.''

24. Teaching and Learning Hatred : the Role of Education and Socialization in Sir Lankan ethnic conflict -
Sasanka Perera, Ph.D. Thesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1991