Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader Mano Ganesan has criticized the proposed education reforms, claiming they fail to address the urgent educational needs of plantation-based and other marginalized children.
Speaking on Thursday (25th), Ganesan said affirmative measures must be included in the short-term goals of the reforms to uplift these historically disadvantaged communities.
He pointed out that two critical elements—national integration and an affirmative approach for plantation school children—are notably absent from the proposed reforms.
Ganesan emphasized that the fundamental idea of using education as a tool to foster national unity and build a shared Sri Lankan identity is not reflected in the proposed curriculum or structural changes.
“There are no intermediary short-term goals that recognize the fact that the playing field is not even,” the MP said.
He further noted that the Malaiyaha Tamil community has long been neglected, stating that the process of integrating plantation schools into the national education framework only began in 1976 and remains incomplete.
“C.W.W. Kannangara’s historic educational reforms never reached them. This community was sidelined even then,” Ganesan added.
