බලු වැඩ කරන්ඩ එපා! මේවා ආත්මයක් ගානේ පටිසන් දෙන කරුම.

Karunanayake C. N. N.

Assistant Principal – Grade 6 & 7

As reported, last morning (5) at Nava Rangahala, you have told a gathering of Grade 5 Parents that you would have definitely continued with two Selection Tests (for Bi-lingual Medium) if some people hadn’t been clamoring that RC must strictly follow the Ministry’s circular on single Selection Test.

You know very well that as a government employee, you’re duty bound to follow the Ministry’s circulars. You don’t need people like us constantly reminding you because once a Ministry’s circular sets the guidelines, every school has to follow them, whether it’s Royal College Colombo or Bintanne MV!

You have also stated that if not for this circular, you would have ensured that more Existing Primary students would have entered Bi-lingual stream but now, with Scholars too vying for the limited space, it’s anybody’s guess.

Where’s your sense of fair play, Ma’am? Aren’t the Scholars too our students? And what an ugly way to view these kids on their first day at school!

We aren’t the ones who wrote this circular – it was the Ministry. What you have to do is to conduct a fair Test. Again, you seem to hate Transparency.

What are you testing these kids for? Have they been told? Have you shared the past papers? What are you mortally scared of? Why are you so secretive about it? Why is this Selection Test more confidential than the GCE O-L & A-Ls combined?

One last warning Dear Nirmali; we are watching you closely – very closely than anyone else at RC. We remember how you sabotaged the Foster Parent Scheme for newly arriving Hostellers, despite Principal Rathnayake passionately pushing for it.

I have always noticed how resentful you are about rural children arriving at the RC. I am just curious – are you Colombo 7 born and bred? Why can’t you accept these Scholars as our precious treasure, where we are endowed with the cream of National Crop who contributes so handsomely towards our national rankings year after year?

Nirmali; how well do you know these rural kids? I bet I know about them far more than you would ever know.

Have you been to houses where you need to trek up hills, half an hour away from where you parked your car? Have you seen families in absolute poverty where the only hope and the shining star is this Child who has travelled a full night to get to Reid Avenue?

Have some kindness and empathy Nirmali, although those virtues may be totally alien to you. Don’t you portray them as a threat to Primary students but our biggest blessing and teach our children to embrace them as twin brothers!