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| Tuesday, 25 May 2004 |
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A school for our times by Joe Andrews Antonian, Brisbane, Australia (A heart warming story of a school's progress in Sri Lanka) On my recent visit to Sri Lanka for the 150th Jubilee Celebrations of St Anthony's College, Kandy - my Alma Mater - I was elated to see how the College has blossomed to what it is today - from even my time there in the 1930's and 40's. There had been a transition in the 1970's from being a Catholic private school levying fees to what it is now - a government school managed by a Catholic principal. During my period at St Anthony's, I guess there would have been around 400 to 500 boarders and day scholars with about 20 to 25 teachers. The reports now say that the current student attendance is 2600 with 136 teachers! What a delightful situation; delightful because the College does not now cater for Catholics and Christians but for students of all faiths - Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and other religions. Of the 136 teachers only about a dozen are Catholics. The College promotes a multilingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural society in this mix of races, castes and creeds and has become an establishment for ethnic and religious harmony and tolerance. The overall vision and objectives of the College for excellence in studies, sports and discipline have not been compromised, and in so doing the College has been elevated to a prestigious position in Sri Lanka. Among its success stories, the school has given a Governor General for the country, has had Dr Malik Peiris who identified the SARS virus at the University in Hong Kong, and of course the irrepressible Muttiah Muralitharan - the world's best off-spin bowler. A group of about 70 Antonians and their families travelled from Australia to celebrate the sesquicentenary of their beloved Alma Mater. 'Ad Multos Annos' (To many more years) |
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