P.S Best wishes for the new warden at STC and many thanks for DBSJ for his contribution as a journalist.

Please give some articles on St.Bridgets too instead of only ones on Ananda,St.Thomas and now recently royal.Whose interested in these kollas schools.Anyway they are all rowdies.If you don’t write something on ST.Bridgets we gals will think you are a male chauvinist.Whenever i see all these rowdy school articles and not one single one on the refined roses among the thorns i get so angry i can i can grrr grrr.

Ps.DBSJ,when you castrated the comments section,i noticed that you had not given any reasons for it,so i can’t offer any solutions.Why don’t you once in a way have comments on instead of off,then when people open your blog they will get a pleasant surprise and put their two cents worth.This will be like opening the buriyani packet and seeing a egg on top or that green colour paste,which is sadly lacking in the buriyani in these western countries.So every day when we open your blog we will be thinking whether we will get the egg/grren paste,and when we get neither,it is okay,but we have had our thrill.Even though we are over the hill we need some thrill,not that we are too old now not to give some thrills too.

If you have time constraints you could limit it to 100 words.You might get some useful feed back on some articles where you think some feedback from the readers are necessary.

Prof De Soysa, We Thomians including myself consider it’s a privileged to get a superb warden like you..hope you’ll stay with us for sometime……god bless you sir! you are an awesome person!!!!

Dear “Bandarawela Boy”,

Your comment made painful reading. “Painful” because it emphasises how difficult it is going to be for our society to be pulled out of the mire. You just don’t realise the complexity of running a school, and I cannot comprehend your system of values. Your theme is “continuity”. Do you mean the sort of continuity seen in Gaddafi’s Libya or Mugabe’s Zimbabwe? I will try to unscramble your comments on Mr. Mithra Edirisinghe in a moment, but by “family succession” do you mean something like what we are seeing in Syria? First try to get your FACTS right. I found these two recent postings on the web. They relate to the early days of the Bandarawela school which you claim to know well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Thomas%27_College,_Bandarawela

This looks accurate, except for a little thing like suggesting that in 1985 Mr Welikala was appointed after Mr. S.L.A. Ratnayake died. In fact Mr. Ratnayake retired while still in good health, and then died. I am not sure of the exact date when Mr. Welikala assumed office, though. In reading these histories, please note that this detail is euphemistic:
− − 2000

− − Mr. R.R.R. Herathge retired from the post of Headmaster. Mr. L.A.M. Chandarasekara was appointed as Headmaster.

The fact is that Mr. Herathge (who, one has to grant, was quite an able man) had to be forced out of office. I hope you know how to read between the lines! How much of corruption must we tolerate for the sake of your much vaunted “tradition and continuity”? Heads of schools must not be allowed to build little empires for themselves; you will note, I hope, from the Wikipedia link, that the present Bishop was Acting Headmaster for about three months in 1989, so that he knows the school well. Also, his son schooled there. He obviously understood how unhealthy it was to keep “Mr. Chandrasekera’s man” as Manager of the school. Mr. Merril Aluwihare is now manager of the Gurutalawa school (where there is an absolutely honest Rev. Nihal Fernando as Headmaster) and Mr. Kavinda Dias-Abeysinghe, a relatively young Colombo-based lawyer, is Mr. Chandrasekera’s manager. A quietly good move, but too cautious. Mr. Aluwihare was the uncontested Staff Representative at Mt. Lavinia until Mr. Mohan Abeynaike, son of that illustrious, though unassuming, teacher, Mr. Orville Abeynaike, contested Mr. Aluwihare. So now, Mr Aluwihare has twice persuaded Mr. Chandrasekera and Mr. Casie Chetty to appoint him as “Staff Representative”. This sort of cheating is just not possible at Mt. Lavinia. Mr. Chandrasekera now claims that Mr. Aluwihare was elected “unanmously”. The fact is that he was contested by Mr. Panini Edirisinhghe, the younger son of Mr. David Edirisinghe, who is a true teaching professional and who had contributed much to the revival of Gurutalawa; I suggest that you consult Rev. Marc Billimoria, the current Sub Warden at Mt. Lavinia about all this.

Now for the other point about “tradition”, please read this very recent article in “The Island”:

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=49255

I hope that you understand what a world of difference there is in the QUALITY of Education between Mr. Keble’s time and the tyrannical rule by the Headmasters of the two schools founded by him. Mr. Keble actually OWNED the two schools; they were not Governed by “The Board” at that time. But teachers were treated with dignity, and Mr. D.N. Edirisinghe was indeed one of the best. Mr. Keble used to shuffle his teachers, which contributed much to their professional development. So, Mr. J.S.L. Fernando taught at Bandarawela, and then was a fine Headmaster at Colpetty. Incidentally, the editor of this recent book, Mrs. Kanthika Abeyesundere, is a daughter of Mr. D.N. Edirisinghe.

Yes, the Colpetty school is well run, as you say, but in an antediluvian sort of way. I won’t say that Mr. Casie Chetty lives in the “Stone Age” since that expression will connote to many Thomians the Golden Age of S. Thomas’ under Warden Stone (1901 to 1924) who moved the College from Mutwal to Mt. Lavinia in 1918! How long, though, can we tolerate a Headmaster, however well he may know his students as individuals, and however cosy he may make the school, when he imagines that in the year 2012 computing has no place in the school curriculum?

And now, “Bandarawela Boy”, may I be permitted to make a snide remark or two of my own. “To generalize is to be an idiot. To particularize is the alone distinction of merit. General knowledge are those knowledge that idiots possess.” Those words actually come from William Blake.

So please try to understand that you must know exactly what happened at these elections. Mr. PANINI Edirisinghe, a well qualified retired teacher, contested the Staff Elections. Gurutalawa asked both candidates to let them know what each had to offer. Neither candidate visited the school but Mr. Edirisinghe responded at length and was favoured by the majority on the staff. Mr. Aluwihare did nothing, but the Gurutalwa staff, knowing that there was no semblance of democracy in either Bandarawela or Colpetty, decided that they should not antagonise the potentially vengeful Aluwihare. Mr. Edirisinghe visited both the Bandarawela and Colpetty schools, but was ordered out by both Headmasters. This was, therefore, a non-election, and ought to be declared null and void.

I have no doubt that you greatly love Mr. MITHRA Edirisinghe, who did indeed work for 23 years in the Bandarawela school. But he was NEVER a teacher. Please find me ONE boy who was taught by him. And he was NOT at any time a student in Mt. Lavinia. I will say no more, but you would do well to do some re-thinking about fallible boyhood memories which have not been subjected to mature reflection.

Lastly, I am forced by your comments to also say this about the two “Keble Schools”. Mr. Keble wanted little children (there WERE many girls then) to happily play with mud and water, untroubled by the scorn of adolescents. Colpetty has progressed to O. Levels, but has retained the Keble crest, motto and School Song. Bandarawela has changed completely. Mr. S.L.A. Ratnnayake was a rare man. Totally honest, dedicated and devoted to the school which was quite literally his life. The moment he left, there was no more purpose and he died. But there IS another way at looking at his role. He had been the Principal of large Central Schools (yes, the Government ones that you seem to scorn) and seized every opportunity to expand the school. This expansion it was that almost doomed Gurutalawa, which was dependent upon the feeder school. Mr. Ratnayake was also a dictator, albeit a benevolent one. His own children were well set in life, he had simple tastes, and so he ran his little fiefdom. His management of the abodes of Mr. Keble and Miss Blanchard was foolish and short-sighted.

I have said enough to counter your comments. Analysis of Gurutalawa, including the yet unexplained murders of the dedicated Head, Bala Gunasekaram, and his wife, will take too long. Remember, though, that your “devoted Headmaster”, Mr Chandrasekera got to where he is because there was never a dictator at Gurutalawa; up to now all Headmasters there were relatively weak; Bala was the exception, and he was murdered by hired assassins.

The Board has NEVER tried to co-ordinate the functioning of the four schools. The new Bishop MUST change all that. We have to support him.

S. Thomas’ School in Kollupitiya is also like that. From Mr. Keble in 1938 till Mr. N.Y. Casie Chetty who is the present Head there have been only Abeyenayeke, Perimpnayagam and J.S.L. Fernando: five leaders in 74 years. Average: 15 years. S. Thomas’ College, Bandarawela is 70 years old now and there have been 6 Headmasters. There are enough children in these schools and they are producing very good students and sportsmen.

So what we want is continuity to have a good school with strong traditions. So the branch schools have selected a former Vice-Principal as one Board Member and a gentleman of the Hayman-de Saram era with 20 years’ experience on the Board as the other Member. All this was done after consulting all the relevant people. In the case of Mr. Mithra Edirisinghe, he was a teacher in the school for 23 years, and his father was Senior Masdter and adviser to the Head Master from 1942 till 1963. That is what we mean by continuity and tradition.

We all want to help the College in Gurutalawa. They started well. Dr. R.L. Hayman was the Headmaster for more than twenty years. However, from 1963 till now, in 49 years they have had 13 other Headmasters and about ten acting Headmasters. The school was good when Mr. Chandrasekera was there but after he became the Headmaster of the Bandarawela school, the number of students fell to about one hundred. It is true that in the last five years it has become about 500 students, but that is after they have done dangerous things like having girls as boarders and taking Middle-East housemaids’ children.

It is true that 2 new Board of Governors had to be elected. Gurutalawa Old Boys had Board representatives in 1996 and 2004. Colpetty had Mr. Suren Gunawardena in 2012. So now Bandarawela has nominated Mr. Mithra Edirisinghe who has studied in Bandarawela, Gurutalawa and Mount Lavinia. He is the best choice. He was in charge of Badminton when the school produced All-Ceylon players, and he was the Senior Hostel Master. He was always with the students and we all love him. Nr. Christopher Gonawela was the Staff Representative from 2004 to 2008. He wanted to be the Staff Representative again in 2008 but he received only one vote (out of two) from Gurutalawa. So it is clear that Staff Representatives can be for more than one term. Mr. Aluwihare is the best choice and he was elected uncontested. We need continuity on the Board. Professor G.L. Peiris has been a member of the Board for thirty years and we are very proud of him.

It is very clear that “Elderly Thomian only knows to type. He does not know what we all know about the three Branch Schools. He is criticising the devoted Headmasters of the two successful schools, and he says that the school without enough pupils is “well run”. Go get your head examined!

You are so wrong to think that to enter STC you need to be English speaking elite.
My father was a govt servant and my mother a teacher. I had holes in my banians and socks going to school.

There were students who were also from wealthy parents. Wealth is never a part of STC. you dont find friends because of wealth of fall into a clique.

Every grade has a vacancy for a student with disability and even not of sound mind or slow learning skills. These students enter adulthood much better off and we who look after them like one of us learn the humilty of the not so fortunate.

There are enough scholarships to go around when needed.

I remember even after I left school, perhaps 10 years I found my old master Leo de Silva and chaplain near our home looking for parents of a child to counsel.
Any kid with financial problems WILL find a thomian who will help them through. headmasters will find a way for talented students to stay.

Dont get me wrong STC has more poor students than rich. When you are middle class you are more poor than the poor itself.

STC fees are well below the International schools.

Once leaving STC you are a well balanced gentleman for life ( except a few )

Let’s be practical about this. Scholarships for poor CHRISTIAN children have been discussed. If you admit 25% poor students it will totally alter the character of the school and, besides, philanthropists are rarely as altruistic as that. I do get your point about ‘significant percentage, and I respect your idealism.

The Branch School at Gurutalawa is well run and needs more students. Right now they have no A. Level classes and students proceed to Mt. Lavinia after O. Levels. Now, that school was rescued by one of those dream philanthropists, a Belgian Jew! He spent money, but more importantly he had been a World Bank Finance Consultant and he made sure that the school became viable through the full-time honorary work he did for two years. He is currently on a long-term professional assignment in the Maldives, but has a home in Bandarawela. In case you don’t know, the Gurutalawa school holds out endless possibilities: 50 acres of land in idyllic surroundings for a Boarding School.

Rev. Puddefoot wanted to increase fees and pay the teachers better; that way there would have been persons of higher calibre joining the profession. Actually, I feel that even now teachers are being maligned unfairly. Treat them with more dignity and you will find that they work with greater dedication. Note that I have focused on what two Europeans have done recently, but I’m proud to have read above about a fine Sri Lankan academic who heads our Flagship School. However, it is not the Heads alone who matter; think of the teachers – and other employees as well.

The new Bishop knows the Provinces intimately and wants to have a better Board of Governors; let us support him in this.

I whole-heartedly endorse what you say. Yes, we Thomians do have a culture which ought to positively influence the rest of society. It’ll also do the school a lot of good, in many ways. Two of the few things that some Thomians are guilty of are snobbery and self-righteousness. They sometimes forget that they are part of the larger Sri Lankan scene. At other times they get xenophobic; see some of the comments made about Rev. Puddefoot who tried to bring the school into the twenty-first Century. Let’s work towards your laudable goal.

Meanwhile, let me emphasise the need to re-vamp the BoG. Do we allow these Branch School Headmasters to get away with the sort of cheating that ought to land them in jail? When are parents and teachers in these schools going to be treated with respect?

The problems are with the three branch schools. I know what I’m talking about. Extend support to the Bishop!

@RAJA, when I entered Royal College from RJS, in 1978, Head Prefect was one Sashidharan, who eliminated our then Cricket Captain Ranjan Madugalle. Also, there was a bigger demand to be Cricket or Rugby Captain than Head Prefect then. And during My last year Hiran Muttiah, Captained Rugby, and Sivaharan Nithyanandan, who Captained every Cricket Team from U 12 had to make way for Sumithra Warnakulasuriya on a technicality. One has to give Sumithra a chance to Captain two years after his record breaking innings which still stands after 3 decades. Your wrong about RC discriminating Tamil students.

The alternatives: Limit the school to the Rich by increasing fees or open the doors to corruption. How then did the Rajapaksa progeny find their way in? I believe there is a way in which certain “desirable” parents are allowed in; they have to be sponsored by two members of the Board apart from the Warden approving. Obviously this is not a perfect system; social mobility seems possible only for those who have indulged in skulduggery. I’m not happy with this system, but it works tolerably well so long as The Board of Governors consists of people of absolute integrity. By and large those appointed by the Bishop of Colombo – the Chairman of the Board – are people of honour (there is one lady now, the Principal of Ladies’ College). But some elections have become quite unseemly. The Old Boys of Mt Lavinia elect two members, and the staff appoint one. Some campaigning descends to the same level as all “democratic elections”, but at least there is transparency. However, there are three “Branch Schools” and those elections are complicated – and regrettably quite corrupt. Yes, one’s got to face it. There’s a good deal of controversy at this very moment of writing, with a new Bishop doing his best to do the right thing, but there’s so much obfuscation that it is difficult to know what has really happened. It is not a straightforward election since the tree Branch Schools select one Old Boy representative and one Staff Representative. This time it looks as though one Branch School Headmaster has tried to manipulate both these Branch Representations, presumably to wangle an extension. You see how politicised the system can become!

Since this has unwittingly become an explanation of The System, let me add that there is a firm understanding that Old Boys ought to be elected. More importantly, 12 of the 15 members MUST be “Church of Ceylon” i.e. Anglican. Any change can only be made by AN ACT OF PARLIAMENT, since the original ordinance was enacted by the State Council in 1930.

I hope this rather lengthy explanation makes clear the way S. Thomas’ has got hedged in. However, certain changes can, and MUST be made. Allowing six representatives for the three schools will lead to less chance of manipulation although, as stated above, the appointed members are the better ones. And there MUST be parent representation. Many Mt Lavinia and Kollupitiya Board Members are parents or past parents. However, few students in the Uva schools are the children of Old Boys. Yes, Thomians, wake up! The dictatorial Headmasters (please don’t get confused by the title, they are quite different from the unassuming Headmasters in the parent school) of the Branch Schools could well derail our beloved College.

But you needed to belong to the English speaking elite to enter STC.
—————————————————
This is not at all true. During my time, there were free scholars who were poor students but smart ones who got free education at STC. This I believe is even true right now. STC catered for rich, poor, Buddhist, Christian and Muslims. I can remember a member from the samarakkody family was told, his son may not get in in preference to a Christian boy and the father went wild and rattled off all his Buddhist family members who attended STC and his son gained entrance without any more discussion. Do you know in 1933 , the boxing captain was B. Darsin silva a native from ambalangoda? There was Dr W. Dahanayaka and his brother from Galle who created great controversy about their singhala Buddhist views, they got caned well and truly but STC still kept them in the fold! The Photo of Dr Dahanayaka now adorns the college hall!!

somewhat inconsistent old boy?

One moment you are praising parippu, about drops are all and the next after a whiff of Kunu Thora, you are on to Ladies College girls and Parrippu stink??????

Confused old chap……

Its the kunu Thora’s that stink, especially from that Tsunami ravaged school by the beach, where little boys dare not bend over to pick up a coin.!!!!!!!!

WHOPS!

DBSJ RESPONDS:

Nopes! I dont like anyone to undermine the power of Parippu notwithstanding its association with Maha Vidyalayas having royal pretensions. It was particularly satisfying when the Indian Parippu drop taught that bunch of alumni from a goday school like JRJ,Lalith A&Ranil W etc a very good lesson.

Now I’ve no grudge with Parippu.Why condemn Parippu when it induces emissions from gas bags that alienate all those damsels in the vicinity who yearn for the “sweet smell of success” that lingers forever in the school by the sea.

By the way Thoras dont pick up coins. Thats thutu dekak for which they have no need

Mmmmm!! as for Mt.Lavinia beach which is far beyond the reach of guys on the wrong side of Thummulla handiya do you remember that song “Galkisse Mude Werale…….. “lassana Gehenu Lamai” and all that?

In that I remember the kids were afraid of the waves not anything else that your “wicked” mind insinuates
“Chutti Babala Werala Paagalaa, Duwanawa bayai Kiya kiyaa”

On that count I must refer to the “treat” enjoyed by the Reid Avenue ragamuffins when they go up to Asgiriya for the Bradby

I hear you guys return as damaged goods at the hands of Trinitians in more ways than one

The unkindest cut is that the bruises are all “blue black and blue”!

Maybe this is true. But you needed to belong to the English speaking elite to enter STC. If you come from a Sinhala/Tamil speaking family (which is around 95% of the population) you have no chance of getting through the gates. This is kind equivalent to some kind of caste system to me.

Exactly as someone said somewhere USA wants “Indian not India”.

Same statement is applicable to Srilanka or Srilankans too. Many Srilankans may be successful in their personal life. However collectively they failed as a civilized society and as a country. Every Srilankan mainly ruling party politicians (DSS, SJV, Srimavo, JRJ, Premadasa, MR) and academics (……GLP, Palitha, Dayan J) are to blame for the mess they create which leads the country to where it is now.

Its my old school which is famous for Parippu.

Yours in known for kunu Thora’s.

While parippu drops achieved great things, I doubt if Kunu thora’s achieved anything other than a big stink!

Get it right man!

DBSJ RESPONDS:

Question:
Why do Ladies College Kello prefer Thomians in far off Galkissa to the Maha vidyalaya kollo in the vicinity?

Answer:

Its the “parippu”stink stupid!!