Teachers protest 'distorted history' in textbooks

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 February 1999, 17:38 GMT]
The 20,000 member-strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the Year 6 Tamil text book for Enviormental Studies from the use of Tamil medium students as it consists of articles distorting the history of Tamils in the island.

When the delegation of the CTTU is scheduled to meet the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education ( Education Development) Professor L.S.Perera on 10th February at the ministry office, Colombo, the above demand will be submitted, said the General Secretary of the CTTU Mr.T.Mahasivam.

The CTTU sources said that the following distortions of facts about the history of the island are published in the said Tamil textbook;

The history of Tamils is distorted in the book by hiding the fact the Yakkas and Nagas were the early settlers before the arrival of King Vijaya from India.

It is written in that book that Tamil speaking Dravidians from South India have come to Sri Lanka after the arrival of King Vijaya from North India.

This book contains another distorted version of the history of mankind that there are archaeological evidence to state that men lived in Sri Lanka 35,000 years ago.

School textbooks in all languages are prepared by the National Institute of Education and published by the Department of Publication of the Education Ministry.

CTTU General Secretary Mr.Mahasivam added that the government should withdraw this text book immediately and take steps to distribute a corrected one for the use of Tamil medium students. Until then all Tamil teachers have been asked not to use this book for teaching purposes.