School admissions end in violent political stunt:

Suicide, as a last resort?

by Uditha Kumarasinghe and Meegahatenna Group Correspondent

Deputy Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma and the mothers, after their release from custody, with their kith and kin.

The scramble to admit children to the best schools available annually features scandals of bribery, political pressures and favouritism but the recent 'suicide' stunt by a junior government minister has taken this yearly heartbreak to a new height in melodrama and child trauma. Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs Deputy Minister Palitha Thewarapperuma's one-man crusade to ensure the right of nine students to schooling, finally ended up with the politician being remanded along with nine parents.

The school admissions period is annually mid-year and admissions are highly competitive due to the too-few good schools available and the scramble for 'status' schools in the growing atmosphere of social class aspirations. Every year, the mad scramble for school placements for children by parents across the country is punctuated with various incidents, either corruption or protests and demonstrations and allegations and counter-allegations.

Display of bravado

Thewarapperuma's initial peaceful 'sathyagraha' culminated in his reported attempt to commit suicide by hanging from a school ceiling fan. The fact that his own supporters were seen crowding round him and helping him with the 'hanging' turned the whole action into a spurious display of bravado. But his action of demonstrably attempting suicide is an offence punishable by the law. The law is no respecter of persons or stature, and accordingly, he was remanded and granted bail on July 7.

On earlier occasions his 'passive resistance', a sort of Gandhian model, worked well. On one occasion of a public protest by Thewarapperuma, the authorities were quick to remove an electrical post in the middle of the road when he got on to his car bonnet and protested.

The Sunday Observer inquired into the background of the whole 'suicide' incident and received several public reactions to the Deputy Minister's 'performance'.

Politicians cannot take the law into their hands and act as they wish when there is a procedure to follow, said Western Province Education Minister Ranjith Somawansa. He said, it is a curious phenomenon that some sections of the people have implicit faith in village bandits rather than following the lawful channels to get their things done.

However, Deputy Minister Thewarapperuma alleged that Western Province Education Minister Ranjith Somawansa should be held responsible for this unfortunate incident. The Deputy Minister said, despite his three day Sathyagraha campaign, provincial education authorities turned a deaf ear without providing any form of redress to the issue of the nine students which eventually prompted him to attempt suicide at the Meegahatenna Primary School.

According to the Deputy Minister, although the nine students had met all requirements set out by the school, the school authorities had refused to admit them, which was unfair and arbitrary. On the instructions of Provincial Education Minister Ranjith Somawansa, children who had obtained 51 marks too had been admitted to Grade one at Meegahatenna Primary School, Thewarapperuma said.

Pictures by Meegahatenna Group Correspondent

The Sunday Observer, in its inquiries, found that the nine children who were denied admission to the Meegahatenna Primary School had not been admitted to any other school in the area during the past six months.

The Meegahatenna School authorities say, these students should be admitted to Talpadiwala Primary School and Bothalawa Primary School. However, their parents allege, all other students admitted to Grade 1 in these schools had not met the requirements set out by the school.

Earlier, a letter had been issued by the Western Provincial educational authorities to admit the nine students to the school and later, it had been cancelled by another letter. This led the Deputy Minister Thewarapperuma to stage a fast unto death opposite the Mathugama Zonal Education Office on June 27.

In a dramatic turn of events, he then staged a seeming attempt to commit suicide in a classroom at the Meegahatenna Primary School on June 30. He was taken to the Nagoda General Hospital and later rushed to a private hospital in Colombo.

The Principal of the school, who witnessed the Deputy Minister's suicide attempt fainted from shock and was rushed to the Meegahatenna District Hospital and later transferred to the Nagoda General Hospital.

Undue pressure

As a mark of protest against the Deputy Minister's unruly behaviour, the Principal and teachers of Meegahatenna Primary School didn't report for duty on July 1, while a group of parents also staged a protest against the Deputy Minister, the same day accusing him of exerting undue pressure on the school's Principal and forcibly enrolling the students.

In addition, principals and teachers of schools in Mathugama staged a protest led by the All Ceylon Teachers' Union (ACTU) at Mathugama town on July 4 seeking the arrest of Deputy Minister Thewarapperuma. The school admission drama reached a climax as a group of mothers along with the Deputy Minister, who threatened and forced the Meegahatenna Primary School authorities to admit their children to Grade one were arrested on July 5 and remanded till July 7 on being produced before the Mathugama Magistrate's Court.

The Deputy Minister and the mothers arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and illegal entry to the Meegahathenna Primary school were released on a surety bail of Rs. 1 million each by the Matugama Chief Magistrate Wasantha Kosala Senadeera on Thursday

(July 7). Western Province Education Minister Ranjith Somawansa told the Sunday Observer, he has already instructed the Ministry Secretary and Zonal Education Director to conduct a meeting with the parents of the affected children and do their best on behalf of them.

"All nine students have schools in their respective areas, but the parents are fighting to admit them to a school they are not entitled to. The prevailing trend is that parents always fight to admit children to the most popular school in the area," the Minister observed. He explained: "We are responsible to act according to the circulars and other rules and regulations. We have given priority to provide admission to all nine students. Of them, five should be admitted to Talpadiwala Primary School and four to Bothalawa Primary School."

Adverse impact

Minister Somawansa said, parents should meet the Ministry officials to find a lasting solution to the school admission issue. "On three consecutive days, they had been requested to meet Ministry officials, but instead of doing so, they resorted to a picketing. On one occasion, parents met me and I pledged to provide every possible assistance. The Provincial Education Minister cannot violate accepted procedures and admit children to schools by force.

Deputy Minister Thevarapperuma attempted to adopt the practice adopted by former Minister Mervyn Silva. This incident could have an adverse impact on the entire education system," he said.

" I don't have any personal issues with the Deputy Minister. On several occasions earlier, the Deputy Minister had resorted to similar protests and threatened school authorities to forcibly admit children to some schools. As a law-abiding public representative, I always adhere to the circulars and rules. I have already ordered to conduct a full scale probe into this incident and submit the report to the Western Province Governor. I regret the attempts made to bring the law of the jungle into the school system. A resolution was also moved at the Western Provincial Council to condemn the incident and implement the law against the culprits," Minister Somawansa said. Deputy Minister Thewarapperuma told the Sunday Observer the nine students who had obtained marks ranging 80 and 90 had been denied admission to the school. However, on the instructions of Provincial Education Minister Ranjith Somawansa, the children who had obtained 51 marks had been admitted to the school.

Psychological impact

"It is a great injustice to the nine children who had fulfilled the requirements set out by the school. Their parents had gone to meet the relevant authorities, and also met Minister Somawansa.

NCPA Chairperson Dr.Natasha Balendra told the Sunday Observer that the NCPA doesn't want to comment on the conduct of the politician. The NCPA generally conducts awareness programs to focus on the wellbeing and protection of the children. Granting bail to parents is a good move. Otherwise, the psychological impact on the children would be too harmful.

OIC Meegahatenna Police C.I. Godage told the Sunday Observer that the Deputy Minister and others were arrested on unlawful assembly and 11 other charges. Asked as to why only the nine parents were arrested, the OIC said, others involved in the incident will be arrested based on the evidence gathered by the Police. The Police have not completed the investigations yet.