‘No land rights’ to state schools in Ceylon Tea producing highlands

The inaction of successive governments has put the teachers and principals of government schools in the Ceylon Tea producing impoverished upcountry plantation sector in a very vulnerable and uneasy situation.

This situation has risen because government schools have not been handed over land rights despite them been taken over by the government more than fifty years ago.

Land rights in Sri Lanka’s upcountry is a continuing issue with no solutions. Promises like 7 perches of land for housing, and converting large plantation holdings into small plots to be distributed among the Malaiyaha Tamils have all remained unfulfilled.

Kandy district parliamentarian Velu Kumar of the principal opposition alliance the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) had raised the issue non-handing over of land rights to the upcountry schools. He questioned the Education Minister Susil Premjayanta in Parliament about the action taken by him concerning the Malaiyaha Tamil community and their educational issues.

“During the 1970’s the government took over the upcountry schools. But the land rights for the government schools have not been handed over until now. What action has the Education Minister taken in this regard? Today the teachers and principals have to fight thugs, goons, illicit liquor traders, and local politicians to save our school lands. Many principals have been forced to go and stand in police stations”.

Education Minister Susil Premjayanta had told the Parliament on the 9th of July about the shortage of lakhs of workers for plantations due to their migration to cities including the capital Colombo after obtaining education and looking forward to better pay packages.

Reacting to this in the house the next day Kandy district MP Velu Kumar cited three examples of the failure to act over illegal activities over school lands and questioned the about the actions taken by him.

“In Nawalapittiya the Dolosbage school land has been illegally grabbed. Similarly, the Tamil school land in Poththapitiya in Kandy district has also been grabbed. In Ratntapura district people have trespassed into the Tamil school land in Kolombage. What is the action taken by the Education Minister?” questioned Velu Kumar.