M.H.M. Ashraff PC: Power of education to transform communities

WHEN history remembers leaders, it often lists their victories, their alliances, or their parliamentary debates. But the truest measure of a leader lies in the legacy that endures long after their voice has fallen silent. On 16 September 2025, the day which marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of M.H.M. Ashraff PC, that is the very question that begs a response.

- BY SHALEEKA JAYALATH

For Ashraff, his enduring legacy was neither in the party he founded nor the speeches he delivered. Rather, it was in the institutions he envisioned and enabled, the most notable of such achievements being the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka (SEUSL). Education was, for him, more than a policy matter. It was the foundation of empowerment, the key to dignity, and the one tool capable of transforming the lives of entire communities. In establishing the SEUSL at Oluvil, he did not merely create a campus. He opened a doorway for thousands who had, until then, been denied access to opportunity.

The significance of the impact made by the SEUSL was captured well by former Vice Chancellor, Prof. A. Rameez: “The establishment of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka no doubt fulfilled the long sought out needs of the people of the South Eastern region. It coincided with the policy of the Government to make broad base education more accessible by extending it to less developed regions in the country such as the South Eastern region... We remain very grateful to late leader Ashraff for his service to uplift and empower the South Eastern community educationally; particularly the Muslim community.”

Symbol of inclusion