CTTU to whet new textbooks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 June 1999, 19:24 GMT]
The Minister of Education and Higher Education, Mr.Richard Pathirana, has instructed his officials that Tamil medium textbooks meant for Grade 2,7 and 10 under the new education reforms, should be printed and distributed to schools only after a three-member committee of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union had agreed, said sources.

The Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Mr.Upasena Senenayake to the deputation of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union which met him on Wednesday evening, at the ministry's office, CTTU sources said.

The CTTU delegation, had demanded that Tamil medium textbooks printed and published by the Ministry of Education under the new education reforms, this year to grade 1,6 and 9 should be withdrawn immediately as those contained distortion of facts and history of Tamils in the country.

The CTTU wanted new books should be prepared and distributed.

In reply, the Additional Secretary to the Ministry Upasena Senanayake said it was not feasible to withdraw those books now.

However the ministry would take necessary steps to correct the mistakes and errors found in those books.

The additional secretary informed the CTTU delegation that the Minister Mr.Richard Pathirana had instructed that the new Tamil books meant for Grade 2,7 and 10 students, scheduled to be published in the Year 2000, should be first examined by a three-member team of the CTTU before being distributed to schools in the country.