At the very outset let me extend a very warm welcome to our honoured Chief Guest Mr. Widanalage Anselam Keerthi Ranjan De Silva, the world-famous veteran scientist and the National Inventor in the Platinum Category, for the Annual Prize Giving of St. Jude’s College, 2018. I very respectfully and humbly appreciate you, sir, for accepting our invitation and to receive your noble presence this morning, in spite of your numerous duties on schedule.
I declared him as a world-famous veteran scientist very fairly and justly, since he is not just a scientist; but a scientist in the platinum category, which is the number one category of classifying scientists. He is listed as the 37th among the world-famous scientists in the world such as Sir Isaac Newton, Graham Bell and Thomas Alwa Edison. Further, he is a prominent figure in the corporate sector, holding responsibilities in the highest level of management serving his motherland and the entire world very silently but saliently.
Sir, let me introduce you as the Chairman/Managing Director of Shan Technology Centre and also as the Presidential Award Winner, as you won the 1st Place at the National Youth Skill Olympic Construction Trade Electrical – Gam Udawain 1990. Having understood your value and your unique talents, you were selected as a candidate to participate at the INPEX (Invention and New Product Exposition) held at Pennsylvania, USA in the year 2010.
My dear students and distinguished guests, before he owns his own company – Shan Technology Centre and be on the top of the ladder of success, he contributed his dedicated services in the following areas gaining experience which was worth making him successful in life and career. He hasrendered hisexpertise to Kajima Corporation and during his office as the Technical Assistant in Kajima Corporation, he was made responsible in the New Runaway Project at Katunayake Airport in 1985. After successfully completing the project,he was handed over the National Hospital of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte in 1986 for which he committed himself in a productive manner.
Thereafter he was recruited in the Metropolitan Office Pvt. Ltd. from 1987 to 1997 as the Technical Officer & the site in-charge for the following projects.
He generously and passionately contributed himself in all the above projects making his talents be useful to the land he was born.
Then he resigned from his office as the Technical Officer at Metropolitan Office Pvt. Ltd. for better prospects and decided to stand on his own. Yet he was humble and committed enough to continue his dedication to the Company continuing his valuable services as an Advisor for Technical and Administration matters at the HR Division from 1997 to 2010 to Metropolitan Office Pvt. Ltd.
Simultaneously in 1997, he reached the culmination of his profession and became the Chairman/Managing Director of Shan Technology Centre in which proficient services are provided in Consultancy, Designing and Maintenance of Electrical, Electronic, and Motor Engineering.
He is a person of vigor, goodwill and commitment. Therefore,apart from his duties as a scientist, a businessperson, and an administrator, enthusiastically and directly he is involved in many other activities. Hence, he was the Treasurer of Sri Lanka Body Building and Fitness Federation from 2003 to 2006, Executive Committee Member & Coach of Sri Lanka Body Building & Fitness Federation since 2004, and an “A” Grade Judge in the Sri Lanka Body Building &Fitness Federation since 2004. Apart from all the above obligations, he served as the Referee Council Chairman – Sri Lanka Body Building and Fitness Federation in 2007.
Above all, he serves as the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Innovation Scientists Association. His capacity is numerous and resourceful. So that he is a veteran personality who becomes a Patent Holder for Dry Cell Hydrogen & Oxygen injector for combustion engines (water fuel).
This massive personality started his life on earth, on the 2nd April 1966. He received his Primary Education at St. Xavier’s Primary School, Wewala, Ja-Ela. He was a student of St. Antony’s College - Wattala from Grade 6 to 8 and was in St. Antony’s College-Kandy, from Grade 9 until he passed out from the school in 1985 after successfully completing the Advanced Level Examination in the Science Stream.
Sir, you are a fitting persona as our Chief Guest on the Day of rewarding the best academic achievements of our students, since you are a great exemplar and a model figure for our students to be motivated and ambitious to achieve high standards in both academics and later in their professions.
Dear Sir, I undoubtedly say so, as you too came to this world with nothing in hand but has achieved massive goals with your unrestricted determination. If I am permitted to mention your professional qualifications, you are a qualified Diploma holder in Civil Engineering at Stafford Institute in 1987.You have successfully completed Automobile Engineering at the German Technical Institute in 1989 and have successfully completed the Construction Industry National Trade Test in 1998. He had also has participated in the training program on “Managing for Profit”, organized by HENRY BOOT TRAINING LTD, UK in 1992.
So, once again I warmly welcome you Mr. W. A. Keerthi R. De Silva, the world-famous veteran scientist, and the Justice of Peace for the entire Island, to the Annual Prize Giving of St. Jude’s College 2018, as our honoured Chief Guest. Also, I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to you, sir, for adding value and glamour on this grand occasion to motivate our students to be successful in life.
Education is not limited to academic instruction. We need to concentrate upon holistic education which covers the whole life. Education must impart deeply truthful vision of life. We seem to have failed miserably in this regard. Why are our jails full of inmates? Why does the number of homes for the aged and orphanages keep increasing in number? Why have the highly educated people gone into extremism? Why do the highly educated medical personnel languish in jails? Why is the supreme law controlled by the elite and the hierarchy and why is that country’s wealth is enjoyed by a minority of the population? The simple answer is that ‘THE SCHOOL’ have failed to deliver goods.
Therefore, it is high time that the educators come together on a common platform to discuss this issue. It is life that is more important. Therefore, we need to have an education system that caters for life. The rest will automatically proceed.
In this connection character formation of the child stands of utmost importance. Educators must touch the hearts and minds of the students and thus inculcate in them true and proper values and attitudes. The minds of our children must be inclined to search for the truth, justice and common good. It is very sad that our world is becoming more self-centered and selfish. We need to be other-centered. Therefore, education must be geared towards the common good. Education must be an act of love and concern. Therefore, educators must take this seriously, the values that are merely articulated and explained do not remain, but when it is witnessed and practiced it lasts a life time.
Many sectors of education concentrate upon corporal punishment to be a corrective action. It is far from truth. It is the correction and guidance of the child,which is done with love, which brings in faith, in the child. Thus, faith will bring about hope. When faith and hope combined together the child will have a vision and a path to follow with deep conviction and confidence.
Having said all that, it is necessary to concentrate upon the materialistic aspect of education.
Sri Lanka’s education system is more examination oriented than profession and skill oriented. True enough, there are signs of hope in this regard when the curriculum is ebbed with technical, practical and market oriented subjects. Definitely,expansion is required in this context, particularly in the case of slow learners. Our technical Colleges should be very constructive in this regard. Slow learners must at least be able to be self-employed.
We, being a Catholic School, our foremost endeavor is to inculcate in our students deep religious values and attitudes. As one enters the school premises, the center of attraction is the beautifully built chapel. Students are naturally directed to pay a visit to Our Lord in the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. Daily Mass is celebrated at 7.00 a.m. and many students attend the Holy Mass. Each class gets an opportunity to organize the daily Mass under the supervision of the class teachers.
School begins every day at 7.30 a.m. with common prayers prayed over the public addressing system. It is the responsibility of the appointed teacher to conduct Morning Prayers. Prayer consist of a meaningful reflection, hymn, and invocations. Daily reflections given by appointed teachers are very meaningful and class teachers make an extra effort to deepen the message.
Major religious feasts are celebrated with the entire student population attending the Holy Eucharist. Special programs such as the way of the cross, reflection days and events of that nature are conducted during the season of Lent and students are directed to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A number of priests from the nearby Parishes and Schools assist in this regard and we are grateful to them for their concern.
Every year at least 130-140 children receive First Holy Communion. This ceremony stands above all the other events in the College. Two religious processions take place annually, namely the Marian procession conducted after the novenas held in the month of May and the Holy Eucharistic procession held immediately after the Feast of Christ the King of the Universe.
Other programmes of academic nature such as Speech Contests, Biblical Quiz Programmes, Essay Competitions and Do You Know Contests on Religious Topics are also conducted.
Our students took part in Zonal, District and National competitions of religious nature. In 2017 Master Rashinda Nishantha was placed First at All Island English Medium Bible Speech Contest and Miss Niyali Gimhani was placed 3rd in the Sinhala medium.
While considering academic instruction of great importance, we consider religious instruction as more significant. We trust much in the Providence and wish that our students will have the same trust.
In the year 2017 about 130 Grade Four students received Jesus for the first time. First Holy Communion Service is one of the events of the College that require enormous preparation. Importance is placed more on the spiritual preparation. The teachers of the section prepare ten very meaningful lessons, all by themselves and conducted classes mostly outside the school hours. These lessons offered deep insights in the minds of the candidates, about the Holy Eucharist. In addition recollection days were conducted to further prepare the candidates. The Sacrament of Reconciliation was administered to the students deepen their spiritual preparation.
Special days of instruction and recollection were organized for the parents of the candidates, in order to pave the way for the whole family to experience some spiritual joy among them. The First Holy Communion was a day of joy for the whole school. The success of this event was based on the commitment and dedication with which the Grade Four class teachers carried out their duties. Similarly, the Board of Prefects gave immense support to Rev. Sr. Mangalika, our Deputy Principal who was the livewire and the main reason for the success of the programme.
No institution will stand aloft without constructive planning and unerring implementation of the decisions collectively realized in the face of positive progress. It is worthy to note that the combined efforts of the administration of St. Jude’s College, the tutorial staff and clerical staff have brought the school to its present heights.
Rector / Principal
Rev. Fr. Rohitha Rodrigo
Vice Rector and Prefect of Games
Rev. Fr.
Ruwan Pradeep
Deputy Principal
Rev. Sr. Mangalika Fernando
Spiritual Director
Rev. Fr. Leslie Fernando
Advanced Level Coordinator
Mr. Christopher
Perera
Almost the total life structure of a child stands on the quality of the primary education one receives. The first impression the child gets in school, lives on, far into one’s total life span. The seedlings in the Primary Department will grow into plants and trees depending on the nurturing that is received. Therefore, value education is such an important aspect in the primary section. This value system is the corner stone for the success of their higher education. Personality development gets a proper foundation in the primary levels of education. Therefore,the quality of primary teachers stands of utmost importance. The efficiency of a primary teacher should not be assessed by the academic qualification one has, but far more important is, the character, attitudes,and values that one possess. One should be competent enough to make healthy judgement on kids under their care and their unblemished moral statute is the measuring rod of the parents. Teachers are ordinary people who can make extraordinary children, with their understanding, love,and care. We try our level best to make our teachers understand these facts and hence our teachers deserve an honourable mention.
The Special events of the new academic year began with a colourful ceremony which was held to welcome the new First Graders. 166 of them were enrolled and it was a sentimental occasion when the present grade two students welcomed them by gifting a school cap. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Rev. Fr. Rector himself. Rev. Fr. Vice Rector took over the parents and explained them what the school expected of them. He advised them not to burden the teacher with the total responsibility of educating and molding,instead Father stressed on the role of the parents too.
The annual celebration of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year was held in the month of April. Mrs. Nilanthi Happuarachchi the Zonal Education Directress for Primary Education in Colombo sector graced the occasion in 2017.
With the intention of providing a glimpse of our heritage numerous cultural events were reenacted, “Wedagedhera”, “Village Headman’s house”, typical Sinhalese home and a Tamil home, are to name a few. All the New Year customs such as religious observances, lighting the hearth, exchanging gifts, monetary transactions, etc. were performed. New Year village games were played and the zodiac dance won the hearts of all.
It was celebrated with numerous competitions been held for all primary grades. English recitation, dictation, creative writing, essay writing, impromptu speech were some of these competitions. Our school is a member of the Mystical Rose International Institute which holds elocution exams annually. In both in the years 2017 and 2018, over one thousand students appeared for the exams. Our school had the highest number of prize winners in 2017. The teachers-in-charge Miss Shemika Fernando, Mrs.Lakmali Dalpadadhu, Mrs.Dinesha Priyadarshani, Mrs. K. H. A. Nirosha, and Mrs. Nimalini did a commendable job in training our kids.
“Little Judians on Stage” was the colorful drama and variety programme that was brought out by the Primary students in September 2018. It was an excellent platform for the kids to surface their hidden talents. It was not only the aesthetic talent that needed to be surfaced but also other social aspects of living. The fact that the programme had a language mix-up provided the children with the concept of cordial living with all. The event included items in English, Tamil, Sinhala, Arabic and Malay. We also expect them to improve upon teamwork, co-operation, respect for authority, acceptance of common decisions made, etc. Above all, children would learn to have no stage fear.
Over 230 students receive education in both Grades ten and eleven and they put their heart and soul in their endeavor to face this vital examination. Immense guidance is provided to bring the students to the maximum level to face the Ordinary Level Examination. Besides,instilling a value based education,the students are provided with ample opportunities to develop their talents in multiple spheres. We make substantial effort to enhance the standard of those students with learning difficulties. Teachers conduct extra classes and new methodologies are applied to produce quick and good results. G.C.E. Ordinary Level being a very important examination, emphasis is focused on academic work. Number of seminars were conducted by veteran and popular lecturers for the betterment of the students as a morale booster. The school emphasizes character and faith formation of the students and a number of special life education programmes were held, along with religious activities and programmes.
This section has been in function since 2014 and its progress has been quite satisfactory. Wehave 145 Students studying in Science, Commerce and Arts streams. They receive both practical and theoretical knowledge. They should be mature enough to realize that hard work is required to qualify for the University.
Our A/L staff is doing their best not only to produce results but also to make of these most senior students of the College, men and women of integrity.
Depression, failure, and fatigue have become quite common today even with the students. Our counselling unit does not have instant success formulae but we make efforts to bring in satisfactory solutions on those who are negatively affected.
Our endeavor is to make our students have a positive outlook on life. If you frown at a mirror it will frown at you. If you smile, it smiles too.
Our lives are made up of the thoughts we have. If our thoughts are positive our lives are positive. There is always a bright side to every circumstance in life.
We have noted that most of the difficulties our children and parents encounter do not even exist. They are often selfcreated and imaginary. We get our children to replace Fear with faith and replace worry with the will to win.
Just because one gets off to a poor start, one does not need to quit the race. After all, life is not a 100-meter dash but a marathon.
Success in life deeply depends on how you serve others. A tennis player who ‘serves’ well almost always wins. Whatever the crisis that life may have the fog will disappear and the dark clouds will depart and there is always a rainbow in sight.
Rev. Sr. Piumalee Fernando from the Congregation of Perpetual Help Sisters handle our counselling unit and we are very grateful to her for whatever she is trying to achieve in the lives of our students. So far over fifty students have been consulted by her and she is making a steady follow up on ten children. Additionally, a number of parents have benefited from her.
The parents of this unit have been very cordial and generous in their encounter with the management. Parents I believe are a great asset to any educational institution. There is much potential in them that can be diverted towards the development of the school. For us parents are an important factor because we do not have an Old Boys’ Union. We are too young for that. We are proud of our School Development Society that they have been worthy and ardent contributors at all events both financially and otherwise.
The success of the giant concert “The Judian Breeze” and the souvenir that was brought forth is ample proof of their devotion and dedication. They were instrumental in netting over 20 million Sri Lankan Rupees towards the Primary Building Project. It is worth mentioning here as a mark of appreciation their participation in contributing towards,
For all these we are extremely grateful to you all.
First and foremost we the Judian family offer our thanks to the Almighty God for all the countless blessings we have received during this year. We particularly thank Him for having prepared our hearts to touch the innocent hearts of the children under our care. We thank Him for our success and for our failure.
We remember with respect the proprietor of Catholic Schools, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and thank him for shepherding us.
Our sincere thanks go to Very Rev. Fr. Ivan Perera the General Manager of Catholic Schools and the Archdiocesan Director of Education for his guidance and care. We wish to thank his staff too for their generous support.
We stand here today because of the hard work of Rev. Fr. Cyril Leslie Fernando our Father and Founder. Dear Father, we are ever grateful to you.
I take this opportunity to thank our Zonal Education Director Mr. Anthony Fernando and his Deputies and the entire staff for their good will towards our school.
It is our duty to make a very special mention of our School Development Society for their cooperation in all activities of the school. We are very fortunate to have a very vibrant and dedicated Secretary, Mr. Sirimevan Fernando.
One cannot forget another very cooperative and important group of the school, the parents. They have been very generous in all their undertakings. Thank you very much dear parents. Then may I turn to my very dear teachers. We have a very cooperative and committed set of teachers. They stand together at all occasions to see that St. Jude’s does the best. They tirelessly and perseveringly work to see that justice is done to all under their care.
I must also thank the Masters and Mistresses in charge of all the sports and athletics, the coaches and all others for their efforts to see that St. Jude’s comes out with flying colors. I cannot mention all the names here, but I mean all in context. Our Vice Rector, Rev. Fr. Ruwan Pradeep, is always there by my side to run the affairs of the College. Thank you very much dear Father.
I must also thank Rev. Sr. Mangalika Fernando, our Deputy Principal for working hard hand in hand with the Management with dedication and love. Primary Department stands on a solid rock due to her efforts.
My thanks also go to all these teachers-in-charge of various units of the College such as the Prefect Boards, Western Band, Scouting… etc. The supportive staffs who keep making efforts to maintain cleanliness and order of the environment deserve a very big thank you.
May I finally congratulate the Prize Winners for their achievements and thank them for the example they set for the rest of their comrades and may I encourage all those students who are not present here, to work harder to reach a reasonable position in the future.
I must also thank those teachers who have left the College for their valuable contribution.
The management of a College becomes smooth, when the Sectional Heads and the Grade Moderators work hand in hand. Therefore dear teachers, thank you very much.