Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
Edward "Eddie" Alexander Nugawela,
ED (21 September 1898 – 5 July 1972) was a Ceylonese lawyer, soldier and politician. He was the first
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
Minister of Education in independent Sri Lanka (then
Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
) (1947–1954), later Cabinet
Minister of Health (1954–1956), a Member of Parliament and State Council.
Early life and education
Born in
Kandy
Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...
, to the
Radala Nugawela family. His father was
Punchi Banda Nugawela who was the
Rate Mahatmaya of Sarasiyapattuwa and the
Diyawadana Nilame
Diyawadana Nilame is the office of the chief lay custodian of the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Formerly an office of the royal household, at present it is the trustee for the Temple of the Tooth as defined by the ''Buddhist Temporal ...
of the
Temple of the Tooth
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa, ( si, ශ්රී දළදා මාළිගාව) is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which ho ...
. His mother was Mallika Dunuwila, daughter of Dunuwila Disawa. Nugawela was educated at
Royal College, Colombo
Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...
.
Legal career
Studying law at the
Ceylon Law College, Nugawela qualified as an
Advocate
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
of the
Supreme Court of Ceylon. He established his legal practice in the
Unofficial Bar in Kandy.
Military service
Nugawela joined the
Ceylon Light Infantry
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
as a
volunteer officer having been commissioned as a
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in 1928. Mobilized for war service during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in 1940, he was prompted to the rank of Major in 1942. He was awarded the
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration, post-nominal letters TD for recipients serving in the Territorial Army of the United Kingdom or ED for those serving in the Auxiliary Military Forces, was instituted in 1930 for award to part-time officers after twe ...
, the
Defence Medal and the
War Medal 1939–1945.
Political career
State Council of Ceylon
Captain Nugawela entered politics in the
1936 Ceylonese State Council election
The second election to the State Council of Ceylon was held from 22 February to 7 March 1936.
Background
The first State Council was dissolved on 7 December 1935 and candidate nominations took place on 15 January 1936. Seven constituencies on ...
, succeeding his father
P. B. Nugawela Dissawe to the Galagedera seat in the second
State Council of Ceylon
The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It r ...
. In the State Council he was elected a member of the Executive Committee of Health and served as a member of the Special Committee on Education setup in 1940. He on the Board of Income Tax and
District Road Committee, Kandy.
House of Representatives
Major Nugawela was elected to the House of Representatives of the first
Parliament of Ceylon, in the
1947 general election from
Kadugannawa
Kadugannawa is a town in Kandy District in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is located along the A1 road west of Peradeniya. The town is served by Kadugannawa Railway Station and ha ...
representing the
United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
and was appointed the
Minister of Education by Prime Minister
D. S. Senanayake
Don Stephen Senanayake ( si, දොන් ස්ටීවන් සේනානායක,; ta, டி. எஸ். சேனநாயக்கா; 21 October 1884 – 22 March 1952) was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Mi ...
on 26 September 1947. He retain the Education portfolio in
Dudley Senanayake's cabinet having been re-elected in
1952 general election. He is noted for educational reforms and increasing the number of state schools during his tenure, implementation the free education scheme started by
Dr C.W.W. Kannangara
Dr. Cristopher William Wijekoon Kannangara ( Sinhala ආචාර්ය ක්රිස්ටෝෆර් විලියම් විජේකෝන් කන්නන්ගර; 18 October 1894 – 23 September 1969) was a Sri Lankan Lawye ...
.
Our educationists
/ref> He was the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ceylon
The University of Ceylon was the only university in Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) from 1942 until 1972. It had several constituent campuses at various locations around Sri Lanka. The University of Ceylon Act No. 1 of 1972, replaced it with the Univer ...
. In October 1953, he was appointed Minister of Health by the newly appointed Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala and served in this capacity till early 1956. He lost his seat in the 1956 general election to C. A. S. Marikkar.
Legacy
The Government of Sri Lanka issued a stamp in his honor on 22 May 1988 and the E.A. Nugawela Primary School in Werellagama was named after him.
Family
He married Louise Gooneratna.
References
External links
Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugawela, E. A.
Education ministers of Sri Lanka
Health ministers of Sri Lanka
Members of the 2nd State Council of Ceylon
Members of the 1st Parliament of Ceylon
Members of the 2nd Parliament of Ceylon
United National Party politicians
Sri Lankan educational theorists
20th-century Sri Lankan lawyers
Ceylonese advocates
Ceylonese military personnel of World War II
Ceylon Light Infantry officers
Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
People of British Ceylon
People from Kandy
1898 births
1972 deaths