Abstract:
The practice of utilizing the national education system itself as a tool for reconciliation
has a relatively short history, but this has not relegated its importance in the
reconciliation processes. From the dawn of the twentieth century, the significance of
educating future generations about the historical myths which brought about social
conflicts, and instilling mutual acceptance between former hostile social groups have
gradually come to constitute a core area in reconciliation processes which aim for just
and long- lasting peace. Although the international community has accentuated the
contribution education can make to reconciliation, Sri Lanka, having experienced a war
for nearly three decades, does not seem to have grasped its importance. The history text
books in post-independent Sri Lanka continued to feature racist and historically
skeptical details that were in line with the existing regime's political aspirations.
Therefore, even before the word 'reconciliation' with a conceptual base is absorbed by
the Sri Lankan society, since May 2009, numerous academics have stressed the impact
an iniquitous education system can make upon the mutual coexistence of the Sinhalese
and Tamils. This paper points out how the present local history text books have been
instrumental in constructing, reconstructing and regenerating the prolonged 'Sinhalese
historical consciousness' about the Tamil 'other' among the younger generation, and
how Sri Lankan school syllabus reviewers have largely ignored the internationally
accepted guidelines in text book review and analysis. It also focuses on how this
iniquitous education system hinders Sri Lanka's achievement of 'positive co-existence'
in post-war Sri Lanka. The paper was developed based on findings of a research
conducted for my Bachelor's degree, in Political Science. A desk research was
conducted based on history textbooks and other relevant theoretical materials. The
analysis transpired two major implications: (a) the prevailing history syllabus presents
an unbalanced history to the younger generation; (b) the history text books strongly
confirmed and supported a Sinhalese group identity while differentiating the Tamils as
an alien social group with no legitimate right to the land. These results emphasize the
importance of the government's responsibility in re-examining and reviewing the
history text books, in its quest for reconciliation.
