Prof. F.R. Jayasuriya

Prof. F.R. Jayasuriya

            Fondly known as ‘FR’ to his friends and close associations , Professor Jayasuriya is best known for the yeomen’s service he rendered in the field of university education , specially in opening up higher education to the Swbasha educated ordinary masses .  having realized that given after 133 years of foreign domination only 6.4% of the country’s population had attained any level of competence in English Prof.Jayasuriya realized the importance of making the doormat population participatory, if Sri Lanka is to be Progressive in its post independent era. Hence in a social milieu considered ‘unfashionable’ to be associated with the Sinhala Language, culture and education, Prof. Jayasuriya seamed the leadership role in talking higher education to the grass root level.

            Born on the 3^rd of January 1909, in the township Weligama in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, Felix Reginald Jayasuriya, demonstrated his academic ability at early age by talking 15 subjects and qualifying with a first class at the London Maturiculation.At the Age of 20 graduated from the Ceylon University College with a second class Upper Division in the English Language Special Examination. He proved his exceptional academic talents by becoming 1 st at Ceylon civil Service (CCS) examination in his day.

            With his penchant for academia, Prof. Jayasuriya starten his working life as A lecture in English at the Universuty College. Then left the post to take the appointment of Principal of Ambalangoda Dharmasoka College. He was back in the University when he was invited for beginning highest achiever in economics at CCS examination. He read for Bachelor of Economic degree and joined the economics department of the Ceylon University College. FR entered London School of Economics in 1936 to read a special degree in economics and graduated with a 2^nd class upper definition. Under his tutelage the Department of Economics became one of the most sought after areas of study in the university. He read for his PhD at Jadawpur University in India. Many Sri Lankan Economists of world fame were his students

            Prof. Jayasuriya, developed the sinhala glossary of economics terms and wrote three Economics text books in the Sinhala Language. He was in the forefront of marking Sinhala the National Language.

             Prof. Jayasuriya is a scholar par excellence, education visionary, a national leader and great patriotic son of mother Lanka. He passed away on the 17^th of July1984. Service rented by Prof.Jayasuriya Will be Remember by the many Future generation to come.

Details of the Issue

Date of Issue: 25^th  February, 2009

Denomination: Rs.5.00

Designer: Sanath Rohana Wickramasinghe

Stamp Size: 30mm. x 41mm.

Format: Vertical

Printing Process: Offset Lithography

Sheet Composition: 100 stamps per sheet

Perforations: 14 ½ x 13

Printers: Department of Government Printings, Sri Lanka

Colours:  4 process Colours

Paper: 102 gsm. Security Stamp Paper

Gum:  PVA

Quantity Printed: 500000