A tale of Two Schools and themselves beginning of my primary education

The man dubbed the Father of Free Education, CWW Kannangara (CWWK), was pivotal to my primary and secondary education at two very good schools: first at Thurstan College from 1950 to 1956, and then the neighbouring Royal College from 1957 to 1964 respectively.

- BY NIHAL KoDITUWAKKU

CWWK was the Minister of Education in the post-independence government of Prime Minister DS Senanayake. He wanted to establish a comprehensive secondary school in every province in the island, later called, Central Schools. The objective was to make available to all provincial students a quality secondary education, free of charge, in their own provinces. Kannangara’s grand strategy, eventually, was to extend this concept to every district in every province. A visionary Minister of Education set in policies to benefit the socioeconomically challenged parents and to give their offspring a chance of good start in life.

Further, he wanted to implement a policy of providing scholastically deserving students from across the island, selected through a competitive examination, an opportunity to study at the most prestigious public schools, rather than limiting them to a privileged few from the upper classes.

Kannangara chose the two leading government boys’ schools, Ananda College and Royal College , to implement this policy on an island-wide basis, commencing 1950 with secondary school students. All costs were to be borne by the parents and there were no scholarships offered. I restrict this narrative initially here to Thurstan College and to Royal College, where I was fortunate to have my secondary education.

The country’s premier Teacher Training School in its early years was located on Thurstan Road, Colombo 3, before it was moved to Maharagama, a suburb ten kilometres away from the capital in 1948. Its buildings were then utilized to house the students of the newly formed Government Senior School (GSS).

Until 1949, all Royal Primary School (RPS) students completing Standard V, average age 11 years, gained direct entry to Royal College (RC) Form-1 in the following year. Kannangara changed this system and held a competitive examination open to all students, beginning November 1949.