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Sri Lanka - School textbooks, Ethno-religious conflict and Education for
Peacebuilding
Successive governments deny children, particularly those of ethno-religious
minorities the right to a peaceful life by refusing to remove harmful parts from school
textbooks:
All children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfil their potential
–
to the benefit of a
better world.-
UNICEF
Textbooks convey not only knowledge but also social values and political
identities, and an understanding of history and the world.-
UNESCO
A.Sri Lanka has been one of a number of countries that have been using school
textbooks for several decades to propagate intolerance of pluralism thus creating
ethno-religious conflict:
https://www.scribd.com/document/333264605/UNESCO-
Must-Urgently-Revise-School-Textbooks-in-Sri-Lanka-to-Stop-Hate-mongering-and-
to-Start-Peace-building
For decades UNESCO and UNICEF have been working with countries afflicted with
conflicts to transform their textbooks to achieve peace-building. Sri Lanka has been
reluctant to embrace that path:
When UNICEF and the govt of Netherlands undertook
Peacebuilding, Education and
Advocacy Programme
(PBEA) in 2012-2016 with 14 countries (Burundi, Chad, Cote
d’ivore, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sierra Leone,
Somalia, South Sudan, State of Palestine, Uganda and Yemen), Sri Lanka did not
join them. Reports on the programme are very encouraging:
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED573879.pdf
B. Global Education Monitoring Report
team’s mandate to monitor global
education under the Education For All(EFA) and Millennium Development
Goals frameworks has now been renewed to do the same under the SDG
Framework
-
https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/about
i.Policy Paper 28: Textbooks pave the way to sustainable development, December
2016
The Paper has Sri Lanka under the sub-title ''Progress towards promoting peace'':
‘’In Sri Lanka,
textbooks long fostered enmity between ethnic groups.
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 2007-2008 no longer include strong explicit stereotypes of Tamils but largely brush
over Tamils’ story, culture and religion by providing a Sinhalese-centric
history of the
country. The textbooks present role models that are almost exclusively Sinhalese,
such as the kings Vijabahu I and Parakramabahu or prominent Sinhalese politicians.
The absence of Tamil or Muslim role models offers pupils from minority communities
few figures with whom to identify. Textbooks also fail to recognize alternative
interpretations of historical events and to encourage students to engage critically
with the past (Gaul, 2014). Sri Lanka has made some encouraging progress
in textbooks, however. After decades of conflict and civil war between its two largest
ethnic communities, Sri Lanka has initiated several reforms to include conflict
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resolution and reconciliation mechanisms in its textbooks (Figure 13) (Vanner et al.,
2016)’’
–
Textbooks pave the way to sustainable development, December
2016,
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002467/246777E.pdf
ii.We sent GEM Report team a letter on why the last bit of their conclusion about
Figure 13/Vanner et al is wrong and hence the ''promotion'' to the new sub-
title ''Progress towards promoting peace'' from the preceding sub-title ''Breeding
intolerance and prejudice through textbooks'' under which Afghanistan is cited, is
wrong.
iii.So
their next report has Sri Lanka under the sub-title ''Textbooks can stoke or
perpetuate conflicts'':
''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, 24 Oct
2017,
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0025/002593/259338e.pdf
What UNESCO GEMReport team failed to understand about textbooks in Sri Lanka:
Fig 13 is a general flowchart applicable to any country. It is on the last page of
Chapter 5 titled
Conflict Resolution in a Democratic Society
in
the
textbook
on
Civic Education
for Grade 10,
http://www.edupub.gov.lk/Administrator/English/10/Civic%20Education-G10-
E/PDF%205.pdf
Chapter 5 looks at various levels(individuals, families, communities, countries and
world) of conflicts and various reasons for conflicts. When it looks at national
conflicts it looks at four root causes(ethnic, political, economic and religious), that
lead to conflicts and examples of countries(Rwanda, South Africa, Israel/Palestine,
Russia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Middle East) are given. Sri Lanka which has been
experiencing a complex conflict because of all the four given reasons is NOT
mentioned at all. The word Sri Lanka is NOT mentioned even once in the 16 pages
of Chapter 5 in which fig13 is found.
Vanner et al 2016 (= Vanner, C., Akseer, S. and Kovinthan, T. 2016. Learning Peace
(and Conflict): The Role of Primary Learning Materials in Peacebuilding in Post-War
Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sri Lanka) has in its Conclusion:
''For learning materials to contribute to peaceful social transformation, they will have
to make space for acknowledging the conflict and the factors that contributed to it,
the multiplicity of identities and realities and critical thinking. None of the countries
(Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sri Lanka) in our study have achieved this to date''
b. Vanner et al 2016 gives the following on p21 (pages 17-21ison Sri Lanka):
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''In a review of 90 Grade 1-11 textbooks related to language, history, citizenship 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 the war is described by Davies(2006) and Cardozo(2008) as
passive war education.''
(*Perera2009, ''Creating ''Selves''and Expelling ''Others'': Politics of Citizenship in the
context of Sri Lankan School Textbooks'', Paper presented at International
Conference on Citizenship and Civic Education: Perspectives, Policy and Practice,
University of Delhi, India)
So Sri Lanka does not want its students to learn about the causes of the protracted
ethnic conflict that has been afflicting and agonising their country for nearly 6/7
decades. Ever since the armed rebellion started 35/40yrs ago, Sinhala leaders have
been telling the Sinhala masses and the international community about ''terrorist
problem'' and nothing about the causes of the ethnic conflict that led to the terrorist
problem.
C.Sri Lanka has succeeded in tricking GEM Report team into saying:
''Sri Lanka has made some encouraging progress in textbooks, however. After
decades of conflict and civil war between its two largest ethnic communities, Sri
Lanka has initiated several reforms to include conflict resolution and reconciliation
mechanisms in its textbooks.''
It is good to know about other countries. But Sri Lankan children are denied the
opportunity to learn about the root causes of the conflict afflicting their own country
which is essential for peacebuilding. Another study with the same finding:
''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
D.
After writing several letters to Office of National Unity and Reconciliation(ONUR),
I
went up to their office on 01 December 2016. I met an Asst Director who told me
that the Ministry of Education was not willing to discuss the issue of textbooks. At
that time I did not know that ONUR had already started to get UN Peacebuilding
Fund for various projects in ''peacebuilding'' while i.the school textbooks are blocks
to peace and create enmity among different ethnicities and ii.the North has been
literally ruled by the Military (while the South is ruled by elected representatives) from
the ''end’’ of the war - only the military assaults ceased and the war took a different
and much more pernicious form in 2009.
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E.
Chapter 1: Democratic Governance (
http://www.edupub.gov.lk/Administrator/English/10/Civic%20Education-G10-
E/PDF%201.pdf
)
Introduction to Democratic Governance:
‘’various
countries have practised different methods of governance to rule them.
Monarchism, (federal) aristocratic system, and democratic governance can be cited
as examples. At present, most countries including Sri Lanka have implemented
democratic governance.’’
What does the following exactly mean:
‘’....
(federal) aristocratic system....’’
as given in this chapter in this book please?
This is a secondary school textbook which is probably the only book most Sri Lankan
school children would be reading on this subject.
F.
‘’Using mobile phones of their parents, some school children have been involved
in spreading hate speech against ethnic groups and religions, the Criminal
Investigations Department (CID) has found.
A senior CID officer said that detectives had found that a number of school children
had formed social media groups and were spreading hatred or promoting violence
against other communities and religious groups. In addition to five cases where
children were directly involved in promoting hatred, a number of others were involved
in similar activities, he said.
The CID officer said that under existing laws, action could be taken against
persons above the age of eight if they were involved in spreading hatred
against other ethnic groups and religions. Those found guilty could be
sentenced to seven years in jail.(emphasis
added). ……………’’
- CID finds
children promoting ethnic and religious hatred, 25 March 2018,
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/180325/news/cid-finds-children-promoting-ethnic-and-
religious-hatred-287652.html
Thus Sri Lankan government which produces the hate-mongering
school textbooks is not only unwilling to transform them but also is ready to
punish the children for misbehaving. Nothing can be more calamitous for the
future of the society.
G.
Asking for, and getting, UN Peace Building Fund
(
https://lk.one.un.org/our-
work/peacebuilding/peacebuilding-priority-plan/
)
at the same time as denying children
Education4Peace is tripping up the UN in addition to denying the children/citizens
their fundamental rights and particularly SDG16
–
Peace, Justice and Strong
Institutions.