• This is Part I of a two-part series. The second part will be published in an upcoming issue of The Daily Morning
• Only 1-2 times a week
• Poverty, racism/discrimination/prejudice, un-encouraging families and physical health issues blamed

Children from the Sri Lankan gypsy community frequently only go to school once or twice a week, or a few days a month with this inconsistent attendance being caused by poverty, racism, discrimination, and prejudice in all their forms, students coming from families that are not encouraging, and physical health-related issues. As a result of this sporadic primary education received, children of the gypsy community in areas such as Siyambalagaswewa have far inferior attitudes/views, abilities, and levels of knowledge in terms of the norm and also compared to children from other communities. 

These findings were made in ‘A comprehensive study on the discontinuity of the primary school education of children in the gypsy community (with special reference to a primary school in Siyambalagaswewa in the Mihinthale education division sector)’ which was authored by D.O. Meththasinghe (attached as an Assistant Lecturer to the National Institute of Social Development’s School of Social Work), and published in the Student Journal of Social Work’s fourth volume’s first issue this month.

Gypsies are nomadic people who don’t own homes, and as a result, travel a lot, living a nomadic life. Palmistry, fishing, luring snakes (usually cobras), teaching monkeys to imitate people, and other hobbies are some of the ways that they make a living. In addition, the language that the gypsies use and the traditions that they follow are also indications that gypsies originate from a different nation. Gypsies, particularly children, speak a language known as ‘Telugu/Telegu’. Gypsies are present not just in Sri Lanka but also in other parts of the world and are descended from these types of people. Gypsies are also known as ‘Roma’. In Telugu, ‘Ahi’ means ‘Cobra’, ‘Kuntika’ means ‘Dancer’, and ‘Ahikuntaka’ means ‘Cobra Dancer’ (R. Bandara’s ‘The ahikuntaka’). 

Anthropologists believe that the origin of the gypsy may be traced back to Southern India. The ‘Koravar tribe’ in Madurai and Pandya might be compared to the gypsies. Linguists argue that their original language, which is connected to the Tamil language spoken in Southern India, has strong linkages to that language (D. Amarasekera’s ‘Sri Lanka society’). As a consequence of this, the gypsy language that is spoken in South India is somewhat analogous to the Telugu language that is spoken by the gypsies in Sri Lanka. Gypsies adhere to the nuclear family system. It is comprised of a collection of families that is formed by the coming together of various different families. There is a person in charge of each of these organisations. When it comes to the organisation as a whole, he is the sole authority figure, and he is the one who makes choices and the one who ensures that justice is served. “Some of these people have got into the habit of spending every penny that they make without putting anything away for the future. Also, they are only concerned with the here and the now, rather than the future, which has a similar impact on the children in the gypsy community who are supposed to attend school in order to prepare for the future,” Meththasinghe observed.

Modernisation, urbanisation, and the decreasing availability of land for sustenance have all had an effect on the growth of the gypsy community. The monarchs had previously undertaken a number of different endeavours to both stop the gypsy community from moving about from one location to another and to find a home for them so that they could stay permanently in a single location. According to the Mahaweli Authority, many gypsy families have had the chance to farm their own land since 1980. When the women were given jobs in the export villages, the young males were conscripted to the military. As a direct result of these efforts, which were fruitful, the gypsies soon adapted to the way of life of the regular people and gave up their nomadic way of life.

The Mahakanadarawa Ahikuntaka village, which is managed by the Mihinthale Pradeshiya Sabha and is located on the edge of the Mahakanadarawa Tank, has the following postal address: The New Thelungu/Thelingu village, Seeppukulam, Mihinthale. By 2013, there were around 200 people residing in the village, distributed between 34 households. The history of the village is very recent; in 1999, former Minister S.M. Chandrasena took action to provide the community with permanent housing. A direct result of this was that around 30 dwellings in the village were erected on parcels of land that were 10 perches in size. Before moving to their current location, the people lived in close proximity to the Mahakanadarawa Tank, which is an essential component of their day-to-day lives. After moving to their current location, the people have continued to reside in close proximity to the Mahakanadarawa Tank. This village is home to two of the Ahikuntaka clans which are known to move across Sri Lanka. The majority of the people living in the village identify themselves as ‘Lankan Thelingu’ people and can trace their genealogy back to a community that originally resided in Puttalam. The majority of their money comes from fishing, but the females still put their centuries-old skill to use by reading palms in a variety of public locations in and around the city of Anuradhapura. The original gypsy community, which was situated in the nearby village of Thambuththegama, may have been the source of origin for around six of the families that presently reside in the area. The women continue the age-old practice of reading palms, and the males indulge in pastimes such as the hypnotism of serpents and the training of performing monkeys. These two families place a strong priority on maintaining their separate identities, despite the fact that they live in such close proximity to one another. Each clan thinks that they are superior to the other. However, it also appears that both parties are guilty of breaking some of their traditions as they were traveling along their journey of life. A few of the locals, when queried about their religious views, told that while in the past they had practiced Buddhism, they had subsequently converted to Catholicism. Despite this, it seemed that they were clueless about the specific Catholic church to which they belonged. Several of these individuals stated that they adhered to the teachings of ‘Kali Amma’. This Siyambalagaswewa village is under the control of Clansman Aloysius. He tied the knot with a female who spoke Thelingu, and her name was Thangavelu Kamalawathie. Aloysius claims to be of Sinhalese heritage. There is no evidence that the leader and his partner have ever been legally married, despite the fact that they are presently cohabitating. Both of them have children from prior relationships. The settlements are plagued by a variety of challenges, the most prominent of which is the persistent lack of access to potable water. The closest well is roughly a half mile away from the village, and accessing it may be difficult owing to the wild elephants that roam the area and consume the plants around it. In addition to this, they are not allowed to make use of any of the several forms of public transportation that are accessible in this area. “On the buses, they are not well received because they are unclean and they smell,” Meththasinghe observed. The said Siyambalagaswewa Primary School is situated adjacent to the gypsy village. In spite of the fact that the gypsy children lacked essential documentation such as birth certificates and other such records, the school’s principal and the teaching staff have made a number of concessions in order to accept them as students. These children, in comparison to the other children, exhibited behaviours that are not typical of children their age. Their attitudes, talents, and knowledge are all much below average in comparison to other people. The youngsters were progressively exposed, through their teachers and other adults, to standards, customs, habits, and the like. Some individuals received education on basic hygienic procedures, such as the correct way to brush their teeth and use the toilet. In addition to the school community, a number of well-wishers came to help the gypsy children who were enrolled in the school. Yet, it is a very difficult task to get them to abandon their centuries-old customs. They are obligated to preserve the traditions that have been passed down from their parents and elders. For instance, begging, fishing, monkey dancing, and other similar activities continue. In addition, it is part of their tradition to go to areas in which they had other relatives living so that they might perform their rites in the company of those people. In addition to this, they often participate in religious events in Jaffna, Puttalam, Thambuththegama, Mannar, Vavuniya, and Kataragama, which led them to miss a large amount of school. This resulted in substandard attendance at school, consisting of one or two days per week, a few days per month, throughout a school term. As a direct consequence of this, their predicted level of success in terms of attitudes, knowledge, and talents is much lower than that of a typical youngster, as are their habits and customs.

The gypsy community also receives a range of other types of assistance from various government entities. Some of them include the Grama Niladhari, an Economic Development officer from the Divisional Secretariat (DS), a Samurdhi officer, a Social Service officer, an Early Childhood Development officer, and a Child Rights Promotion officer among others. As a result, a strong connection is maintained with the gypsy community. But, it does not appear that their centuries-old customs have any influence on regular school attendance. This has an impact on the society as a whole.

As a direct result of this, the school children of the Siyambalagaswewa village have not paid nearly enough attention to the school children of the gypsy community. Yet, factors like early marriages among female children, frequent fishing practices by males, and snake charming have produced substantial worry among the other school children, which has led to poor school attendance and hate by the village people. The lack of capacity of illiterate individuals to teach children how to lead better lives is a significant obstacle for the society as a whole. This aspect is also a major contributor to the low rate of school attendance. Other than that, there are a few students who are approaching the usual level of outstanding manners that is required of them to a far greater degree than the rest of the students. This indicates the favourable effects that constant attendance at work and engagement with coworkers has on children of all ages. As a direct consequence of this, the qualities of gypsy children and parents who have frequent and significant relationships with members of the Sinhalese community have developed exceptionally well.

School edu. of children in the gypsy community

The values, traditions, norms, beliefs, and practices of the culture in which a child is brought up and reared have a considerable bearing and significant impact on the sense of identity and self that the child develops as an adult. The extended family is the primary means of socialisation in the gypsy society in Sri Lanka (J.C. Berthier’s ‘The socialisation of the gypsy child’). This network provides both mental and physical support to children. There is a great deal of diversity present within gypsy groups; yet, there are some similarities in the ways in which children are traditionally brought up and often raised. This training occurs at a much younger age than the average age of children in the general population. They also rarely subject their children to physical punishment. Traditional community education for children is an essential component of their communities, and through involvement in its daily activities, they are exposed to and acquire the economic, social, linguistic, political, and moral norms of their society in Sri Lanka. Education is considerably different from traditional schooling. Young children generally attend school in extremely competitive, structured environments and settings where each minute and hour of the day are organised and planned around certain academic responsibilities and requirements.

Primary edu. of children in the gypsy community

In gypsy cultures, the primary influences in a child’s life are often their immediate family as well as their extended network of relatives. The culture of the dominant society also has an impact on a child’s perspective, in addition to their family and friends. This assists people in being ready for the social and financial demands of adulthood, such as getting married, maintaining steady work, and beginning a family. They are also given the responsibility of looking after younger children. A child’s sense of freedom is bolstered by the absence of physical punishment. Joking or mocking is employed to induce compliance in children by making them feel awkward or foolish.

From the ages of five to 12, children are considered to be pure and innocent. As a consequence of this, the hygiene-related laws don’t apply to them. A gypsy child, in contrast to an adolescent, has fewer social obligations and less political stature.

Reasons for non-continuing schooling of gypsy children

The process of child socialisation and education is characterised by community education. Children learn to trust themselves and adopt culturally accepted values in a situation where they are encouraged to be self-reliant, are seldom penalised, and significantly contribute to the economic operations of the community. Up until puberty, when young adults take on gender-assigned tasks, childhood is characterised by its relative freedom from societal obligations. Since it teaches them adult verbal and non-verbal communication skills and enables them to participate in community economic activities, a community education assists gypsy children in Sri Lanka in making the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Due to the increasing need for literacy, more people are seeking non-traditional education options for their children. Nonetheless, there are other situations in which children’s requirements are not met by conventional education. Understanding this will be necessary in order to find a solution that works for everyone involved. It is equally important for the future success of gypsy children that fresh programmes be developed to increase the number of gypsy children enrolled in education in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, these efforts must respect people’s rights to self-determination and full involvement in education projects, especially those involving their children. What can be said with certainty however is the vital need for non-educators to recognise the uniqueness of history, language, and culture, and to take action to rectify the imbalances that people face in areas such as education.