Tuan Burhanudeen Jayah

Tuan Burhanuddin Jayah (1 January 1890 – 31 May 1960), was a Sri Lankan educationalist, politician, diplomat and Muslim and Malay community leader and considered one of Sri Lanka's national heroes. He started his career as a school teacher and retired after serving 27 years as the principal of Zahira College, Colombo. Under his stewardship, Zahira College became one of the leading schools in the country.

Jayah emerged as a leader of the Muslim and Malay community of the country. He entered the politics and became a prominent figure in pre-independence politics of Sri Lanka. He was elected to the legislative council, state council and parliament. He was also a founding member of the United National Party. He became the minister of Labour and Social Service in the first independent government of Sri Lanka. After retiring form politics, Jayah was appointed as the first High Commissioner for Ceylon in Pakistan. He died in 1960, falling ill on pilgrimage to Mecca.

Early life Tuan Burhanudeen Jayah was born in Galagedara on 1 January 1890, as the son of Nona and Cassim Jayah. The Jayah family belonged to Malay ethnic minority group in Sri Lanka. Cassim Jayah was employed in the police department as a sergeant.

Early education When Jayah was young, his family moved to Kurunegala due to his father's transfer. He attended his first school was the Anglo-Vernacular School in Kurunegala. During this period, he also received his Quranic Education under the tutelage of Noordeen Alim and Omarlebbe. Cassim was once again transferred, this time to Colombo. Jayah attended the St. Paul's College, Kandy, where he received most of his primary education. He had to be enrolled to Grade 1 at the age of ten. However, the young student was found to be so brilliant that he was awarded a treble promotion from Grade 1 to Grade 4 and once again a double promotion to Grade 6 in the following year. In 1904, he obtained a scholarship to S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia for his secondary education. He passed Cambridge Junior and Cambridge Senior examinations with merits.

State Council In 1931, after the Donoughmore Constitution, all adult citizens of the country were granted voting rights to elect members for the State Council. Jayah contested for the Colombo Central electorate, but was defeated by a prominent politician, the Ceylon Labour Party leader, A.E. Goonesinha. He was again defeated by the same opponent in 1936 election. However, despite his defeat, he was nominated to the state council, in 1936, and he continued as a member until 1947.

Parliament and Cabinet

In 1947 parliamentary election, the Colombo Central electorate was made a multi-member electorate in order to get a balanced representation of the several communities that exist in the electorate. A.E. Goonesinha obtained 23,470 votes and was elected as the first member. Jayah was elected as the second member obtaining 18,439 votes.

Jayah was also selected for the first cabinet of the independent Ceylon, which consisted of only 14 members. He was appointed as the minister of Labour and Social Service.

In 1950, Jayah resigned from the house of representatives and from his post as the cabinet minister to assume duties as the first high commissioner to Pakistan. He served seven years in this post.

Death Jayah died in 1960, falling ill on pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia.