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Dr. Dudley Dissanayake passed away on 27th January under tragic circumstances. Dr. Dissanayake had held many key posts in the public service. He was one-time Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Director, Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute, Government Agent, Nuwara-Eliya, Director, School of Social Work, among others. At the time of his death Dr. Dissanayake was serving in the National Police Commission.

Dr. Dissanayake obtained his BA (Hons) in Sociology from the Peradeniya University in 1960, his Master of Social Work from the University of Minnesota.

We publish some excerpts from his long paper titled The Sri Lanka School of Social Work: My Life and Times which appeared in Memories of the Past, 1952-2002, the Golden Jubilee publication of the Sri Lanka Institute of Social Development.

by Dr. Dudley Dissanayake

On looking back over the 50-year period since formal professional social work education was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1952. I am both surprised and also fascinated to discover how my own life was involved with the history of the Sri Lanka School of Social Work. It is indeed a self-discovery which I made after I was invited to contribute to the publications relating Golden Jubilee celebrations.

The Ceylon School of Social Work and Myself

It was in 1960, when I was an undergraduate reading for a degree in Sociology at the University of Ceylon. Peradeniya (Presently University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka) the Head of the Department. Dr. S. J. Tambiah informed me that the Institute of Social Work in Colombo has asked the Department of Sociology to recommend a suitable undergraduate to be recruited for the academic staff of the Institute.

This was the first interview I had ever faced. I went there with some dread, uneasiness as well as with a feeling of adventure. At the end of the interview they told me that they wish to appoint me immediately.

I decided to call on Director of the Institute. On meeting me he was happy. He thought I had come to convey the good news that I will join. I told him that my family wishes me to join government service. However I will be happy to work for the institute on a part-time basis. It did not satisfy him. Later I heard that a former colleague of mine at the Department of Sociology at Peradeniya University was appointed to that position.

Many years passed. As I wished I had joined government service. By 1971 I was working as the Assistant Director of Social Services in charge of the District of Matale (near Kandy). I was travelling from home to work. I was happy. Suddenly I was appointed as Assistant Secretary to the Ministry of Social Services. It was a promotion on an acting basis. I had to move to Colombo, the capital city. I declined. I loathed the idea of leaving home and going back to Colombo. But the Minister and the Secretary to the Ministry insisted. They could not understand why I am refusing a higher appointment.

On assuming duties as Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Social Services I discovered that the Sri Lanka School of Social Work, which was the successor to the Ceylon Institute of Social Work, was an institution coming directly under the Ministry of Social Services. Supervising and facilitating the work of the School was one of my job responsibilities. I was such a surprise. I reminisced previous contacts with the Ceylon Institute of Social Work and Mentioned those happenings to my boss, the Ministry Secretary, Mr. P. D. Uduwela. He said that it was my good luck that I did not accept the appointment then. If did I would have been a lecturer still whereas now I handle that work as a senior ministry official.

After nearly 15 years it has faced various vicissitudes. I had been unfortunately and needlessly affected by political changes too. But the need for professional social work education in Sri Lanka had been thoroughly recognized by then.

1975-1978

A proposal had been sent to the UNICEF previously to commence a Family & Child Welfare Training Programme. This was to train the Management and the staff of all social service institutions in Sri Lankan i.e. Children's Homes. Elders' Homes. Institutions for the Disabled Children etc. This was a comprehensive project. This too required training staff and development of training plans, syllabus materials etc. The School of Social Work was fortunate to get the project but was handicapped due to lack of training staff. UNICEF promptly came to our assistance and provided a consultant. It was a she. She was ebullient, competent and resourceful. She was the Director of the Philippine School of Social Work. Philippines Women's University Dr. (Mrs.) Dolares B. Lasan. She came on a two year assignment. No sooner she arrived, she turned out to be the light that was much needed to off set the gloom we had at the School of Social Work. She was to be the Consultant for the project as well as a resource person for a Diploma programme that could be planned for the future.

Although the Ministry authorities were negative I knew that there is a need for professional Social Work education in Sri Lanka and that need will grow. Hence I thought to myself of a future scenario where social work education will be in much demand. Knowing our technical limitations. I address letters to the UN/ESCAP Regional Advisor on Social Work Education and Training and to the Secretary General of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) in New York. My request was simply this "Social Work Eduction in Sri Lanka has stopped couple of years back.

Dr. Dolares Lasan, UNICEF Consultant to the Sri Lanka School of Social Work was dynamic. She set about launching the family & child welfare services training project in a very methodical and professional manner. Development of the project implementation plan, obtaining the training man-power, venues, equipment development of training plans, curricula training methodologies and materials were her main responsibilities which she set about with much ease, confidence and vigour.

1975-76 was a hectic year whilst the Family & Child Welfare Service Training project was going on at full-speed. The IASSW and the UN/ESCAP too started responding to my earlier pleas for technical support to develop curricula, field-institution structures etc for re-introduction of Professional Social Work Education in Sri Lanka.

New Organization structure approved for the School of Social Work

Let me now go back to administrative issues. By the end of 1975 Mr. V. Nadarajah, the Principal went on three months leave prior to retirement. As the Vice Principal I was appointed by the Ministry to cover-up the duties of the Principal until the post of Principal fell vacant at the end of three months.

Hence I prepared a new organizational chart in keeping with the objectives and functions of the School of Social Work that I had identified since my involvement with the foreign consultants and my own insights. The School of Social work should have four Divisions I decided, namely Social Work Education. Social Welfare Training, Research and Public Administration & Finance. Each of these Divisions should be headed by a senior person. The designation of Principal and Vice-Principal should be changed to Director and Deputy Director.

Within a couple of days that Mr. T. G. Gunasekera assumed duties in 1977 as Secretary, he had me, appointed as the Director, Sri Lanka School of Social Work even without any new request on my part. I was satisfied. So were my colleagues.

Now I looked forward to achieving my dreams for social work education in Sri Lanka. I felt relaxed after a long-time I knew that the new Secretary to the Ministry has already developed confidence in me and had come to know the good work done under strained circumstances. I started looking forward to the future and ignoring the past circumstances.

New Diploma in Social Work Commences in 1978

Since the Diploma in Social Work was for Sri Lanka it was thought very pertinent to have the views and inputs from Sri Lankan expertise too. Hence, a working group with large membership representing a key aspect of social development was appointed to suggest training needs and contents for the Diploma. Since by then in Sri Lanka there were no social work educators (except me) all others came from relevant sectors. The working group too turned out to be extremely purposeful. So the final curriculum document was the product delivered with a contribution of two very valuable streams i.e., social work education expertise at international level and Sri Lankan social development expertise. I designed the final curricula incorporating these obtained views of the staff of the School of Social Work, the UN/ESCAP Regional Advisor etc. The curriculum included one course, which was singular product of mine. I titled it Service Delivery in Human Settlements. It included knowledge components provided in the classroom and visits to some agencies national level providing policy, programme instruction and resources for delivery of services at community level and a small student group community placements in a selected disadvantaged area to study the needs of those communities, as the communities themselves felt, the gaps or differences between the policies/programmes as promulgated by the agencies and the actual service delivery at grass-root level. The students are required to live with the families of the selected community experiencing their life and understanding needs and actual service delivery from the side of the community.

The University of Toronto Faculty of Social-Work Sri Lanka School of Social Work Linkage Project

In 1980, I attended the Social Workers World conference which in the biennial international symposium of International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and also the international meetings of the Inter-University Consortium on International Social Development (IUCISD). Both were held in Hongkong. One of the delegates, a woman social work academic from the Faculty of Social Work University of Toronto came looking for me. She was Dr. (Mrs.) Caryl Abrahams (Mrs. Maclaclan at that time).

Housing the Sri Lanka School of Social Work

After half a century of existence this remain an elusive problems which makes us blush both in embarrassment and anger. From 1952-2002 this Institution had led a nomadic life occupying eight different venues. The earliest I remember is the Burtol's building in Kollupitiya and also another place (if I remember correct) also in Kollupitiya.

Even when I returned to Sri Lanka in 1986 after obtaining my Ph.D from Monash the School of Social Work was still at 82, 5th Lane, Kollupitiya. But soon I came to know that it had to vacate that premises and it shifted to several different buildings within short periods. I remember visiting the School of Social Work at a very rambling building at Park Road, Colombo 5, building at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 8, and a building at T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 respectively.

Around 1992 I believe, the Institution had obtained part of the building complex at the J. R. Jayewardene Center, Colombo 7. The building though inadequate was better than the previous ones.

In 1994 when I was appointed Secretary, Ministry of Health and Social Services, the need for a permanent building was a clear issue in my mind. Of course by then state lands in the city of Colombo were scarce. Continuous inquiries were made. A land 1/2 acre was identified as available at Reid Avenue by the side of the University of Colombo. I was elated at the news. However wiser counsel prevailed. Mr. Dharmasiri Pieris was the Secretary, Ministry of Education and Higher Education was also a Member of the Board of Management of the NISD. His views were highly respected. We all turned to him on important matters. His view was clear. Don't locate the NISD next to University campus. Knowing well the turbulence and volatile nature of University campuses at this matter was not pursued.

Mr. Harsha Soysa who assumed duties as Director General of the NISD was found to be a very active person in these matters and he was asked to pursue the matter of finding new premises. He worked hard and a very suitable state land near in Nawala was identified and official approval obtained. The money needed for the land was Rs. 30 million. The Treasury willingly provided the money in the budget. This land I thought not only would be useful to put up the NISD but the Ministry of Social Services and the two departments under it - the Department of Social Services and the Department of Probation and Childcare Services, which too were shifted nomadically from building to building, could be housed in the adjoining land thus establishing a Social Services Secretariat. The Ministry of Social Services could have obtained the adjoining land.

Obtaining the land and the budgetary provisions for the same was an act most satisfying to me as the Secretary, Ministry of Social Services. It also happened to be one of my last acts before I retired from the service.

The NISD still remains in Colombo even at the end of 2002 on rented out inadequate premises.

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