From Syllabus to Surrender: How Removing History Is a Plot to Undermine Sri Lanka’s Sovereignty
Sri Lanka is facing a new kind of invasion — not with weapons, but with erasure. Under the banner of “reform,” the government now moves to strip history from our children’s early education, cutting them off from the roots of who they are. History is not just a subject — it is our identity, our strength, our shield. For over 2,500 years, Sinhala Buddhists built and defended this island, preserving the Dhamma and protecting its sovereignty. If we allow our history to be removed or rewritten, we allow our future to be stolen. This is not just an education issue — it is a national emergency. The time has come for every citizen, parent, monk, and patriot to rise and defend the story of our land — because without memory, there is no nation to protect. These so-called education reforms are not about progress — they are foreign-funded tools to erase whatever memory we have left.
- History was once a Living Force
Before books and classrooms, history lived through stories, songs, and traditions passed down by monks, elders, and teachers. These stories shaped brave kings, wise queens, and strong citizens who protected this land with pride.
In Sri Lanka, this living history gave rise to heroes like King Dutugemunu, King Vijayabahu and Queen Viharamahadevi, — who stood firm against invasion and defended our sovereignty and Buddhist heritage.
History wasn’t just remembered. It was lived — and it built our nation & our civilization
- How History is being diluted today
Colonial rulers didn’t just take land — they rewrote our minds. They imposed a system that glorified the West, belittled our heritage, and trained locals to forget their roots. That same mindset still infects our education system today.
History is no longer taught with pride. Instead, it is:
- Watered down to appease separatist demands
- Filled with falsehoods from LTTE-backed narratives
- Afraid to celebrate Sinhala Buddhist achievements
Even our own policymakers — products of these same diluted syllabuses — are too uninformed, indifferent, or intimidated to correct these lies. Instead, they are now complicit in pushing education “reforms” that aim to erase the little history that remains.
And the goal is clear:
To produce a generation that does not know who they are — and therefore, does not know what they must protect or defend.
- Why History is a Line of National Defense
Sri Lanka has survived:
- 17 invasions from South India
- 3 colonial occupations
- 2 post-independence rebellions
- A 30-year foreign-backed terrorist war
Today, new threats come not by force, but through education policy, foreign aid, loan conditions and ideological manipulations.
Before they take our land or our waters, they take Our Minds.
History trains us to resist.
To recognize enemies.
To remember sacrifice.
To honor those who fought defending the Nation
And to never allow betrayal.
Remove history, and you remove the will to defend the nation.
That is the plan.
And that is why some are now bold enough to glorify the very enemies who tried to destroy this nation.
4. Why Early Education Matters Most
From Grades 1 to 5, a child’s mind is wide open — like a sponge.
What they absorb at this stage becomes the foundation of who they are.
Early learning is stored deep in the subconscious, shaping future beliefs, behavior, and emotional responses.
That’s why the government’s move to remove History and Aesthetic Studies from early education is no accident.
It is a calculated attempt to disconnect children from their identity, their pride, and their instinct to defend this island.
This is not “modernization.” It is indoctrination through omission.
The pattern is clear:
Anti-Buddhist. Anti-national. Foreign-funded. Ideologically compromised.
This is not ignorance.
It is intent.
And tragically, the policymakers drafting these reforms – themselves a by-product of the colonial-education system, have chosen not to be guardians of the nation. Instead, they are complicit in sacrificing our children’s national memory, identity & cultural pride for personal gain & political favor, by proposing to erase history & aesthetic study from Grade 1 to 5, the most formative years of education in a child.
We must now rise in defense of Our Nation
Our kings defended this land.
Our monks preserved the Dhamma.
Our soldiers gave their lives for a Unitary Sri Lanka.
Now it is our turn.
Not with arms — but with truth, conviction, and courage.
This is not just about a school subject.
It is about the foundation of our nation.
If we let them erase our history, they erase our future.
If we stay silent, we betray every hero who fought before us.
So Rise.
Parents. Teachers. Sangha. Patriots.
Defend our children.
Defend our history.
Defend Sri Lanka.
Shenali D Waduge
