A Principal retires

Lieutenant Commander RS Jayasekera who was the principal at DS Senanayake National School as last in his career, retired from the State service with effect from January 20, 2010 on completion of 38 years in the teaching profession, out of which he had been a principal for 32 years mostly in national schools in various parts of the country.

He started his career as a Government teacher from Ankokkawala MV in Galle district. His short career as an English Assistant teacher included G/Tellambura Dutugemunu MV and a few other schools.

In 1978 he was elevated to the rank of principal and assumed office at G/Tellumbura Vidyakanthi Vidyalaya. He served in that school for about five years continued his long career giving the leadership for many other leading schools such as G/Lanumodera Vijaya MV, Gm/Kelaniya Bollegala MV, Pepiliyana Sunethra Mahadevi MV, Battaramulla MDH Jayawardena MV, St. John’s College, Nugegoda, Piliyandala Central College (National school), St. Mary’s College (National School), G/Manuwila Upananda Central College (National School), DS Senanayake Central College (National school).

He is responsible for many changes, for the better in every school he has served.

He has done a yeoman service towards mother Sri Lanka by properly moulding the younger generation.

He himself set example by leading an exemplary life. Everybody seemed to like him so much because he had enough to give to the field of education as well as the children.

He earned a degree in Public ‘Administration’ from the University of Sri Jayewardanapura, ‘Conflict Resolution’ from the University of Colombo, public private partnerships for Urban Environment’ from the Yale University and the Postgraduate in ‘World Affairs and Professional Diplomacy’ from BIDTI and led the ‘senior school principals’ team on Management of Excellence at NIEPA in New Delhi, India.

These are the earnings which graced his professional life all the time.

He joined the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force in 1978 served for sometime and left but he again joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1988 and continued a naval career for nearly two decades serving in a almost every Naval establishment.

Among the medals he won are the ‘Purna Bhumi’, the ‘Rivi Resa’, 50th Independent and the 50th Navy Commemorative. He is supposed to be the only principal were experienced the battle ground as a Navy commissioned officer.