Rt. Rev. Daniel Thiagarajah, the Chair of the Boards of Directors of Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls’ College and the Bishop of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India has sent a letter to the Trustees of Jaffna College Funds in Boston, USA as his response to the letter sent by the latter on the 5th of January 2017, Colombo Telegraph learns.
Even though the letter sent by the Bishop is not available, Colombo Telegraph is in possession of the response sent by the Rev. Richard Huleatt, the Chairperson of the Trustees on the 26th of February 2017 to the Bishop’s letter. It can be understood from this brief response that the Bishop on the 12thof February had responded to the letter sent by the Trustees of Jaffna College Funds in Boston, USA on the 5th of January 2017. Like the first letter sent to the Bishop, the Trustees have copied their response dated 26 February to 19 others including the Chief Minister and Minister of Education of the Northern Province and selected alumni of the two schools all over the world.
The Trustees in their response to the Bishop’s letter state that though they appreciate the Bishop’s perspective on the events that the Bishop describes in his letter, they cannot consider it as a response to the specific matters requested in the letter sent by the Trustees in January. The Trustees’ letter also states they continue to look forward to receiving an appropriate response from the Bishop before the March 15, 2017 deadline.
The Trustees in January decided to cut 5% of the funds allocated to Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls’ College for the first quarter of the year 2017 citing various irregularities and malpractices in the general and financial administration of the two schools in the recent past. Failure on the part of the two schools to submit the audited financial statements for 2015, violence unleashed on the students who were protesting against the appointment of the new Principal at Uduvil Girls’ College last year, the administrators’ failure to hold those who were involved in the violence accountable, threats of physical harm and punitive measures, recruitment of under-qualified teachers to both schools in the recent past, abuse and misuse of power and the funds sent by the Trustees , intimidation and manipulation of the teachers and the board members placing their personal interests above the welfare of the students and the school are among the reasons cited in the letter for the reduction of funds to these two educational institutions in Northern Sri Lanka.
The Trustees in their letter copied to 19 individuals including the Chief Minister of the Northern Province Justice C. V. Wigneswaran, the Education Minister of the Province Mr. T. Gurukularajah, the Principals of the schools and members of the alumni all over the world had insisted that 9 major reforms ensuring transparency and fairness in the areas of administration, financial reporting, and recruitment of teachers and officers be implemented before the 30th of June 2017. These reforms include independent audits of the funds utilized by the schools and internal controls, prudent and open nominations for persons to serve as directors, appointment of qualified officers and teachers, disclosure of related party transactions, avoidance of cronyism and nepotism, and regular meetings of Boards and Committees, followed by public reports of deliberations and decisions. The letter notes that the changes that they require are “consistent with governance and reporting standards that are accepted and implemented by well-run organizations worldwide, including educational institutes”. The Rev. Huleatt also observes that for the Trustees “to act responsibly as fiduciary, [their] beneficiaries should provide [them] with transparent financial reporting, demonstrate responsible governance practices, communicate cooperatively with [them]”.
It should be noted that the Board of Directors of Jaffna College did not meet between the 5th of January 2017 and the 12th of February 2017. The alumni of Jaffna College express their anger that the Bishop responded to the letter sent by the Trustees without calling for a meeting of the Board of Directors. They note that this has prevented the Alumni Representative to the Board from presenting the alumni’s views on the Trustees’ letter to the Board. Many consider the Bishop’s decision to send a response to a letter that should have been discussed formally at a meeting of the Board of Directors an undemocratic act revealing the authoritarianism ubiquitous in the administration of the two schools.
The Bishop told Sunday Times in January that he would release his lawyers’ response to the Trustees’ letter to the public after it was drafted. But no such response has been released to the public or the media so far though a response has been mailed to the Trustees. Sunday Times reported that among the Bishop’s council was Attorney-at-law and Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran. While Mrs. Savithri Sumanthiran, wife of Mr. M.A. Sumanthiran, is on the Board of Directors of Uduvil Girls’ College, Ms. Vijula Arulanantham, a close legal associate of Mr Sumanthiran, serves on the Boards of both Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls’ College, in the former as its Vice Chairperson.
In the meantime, the Executive Committees of the alumni of associations of Jaffna College in Vaddukoddai, Colombo, Toronto, London, Melbourne and Sydney have unanimously welcomed and endorsed the letter sent by the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees to the Chairperson of the Board of Directors on the 5th of January 2017 demanding far-reaching reforms in the administration of their alma mater.
In addition to the reforms prescribed in the letter sent by the Trustees on the 5th of January, the alumni association of Sydney has requested the Trustees of Jaffna College Funds to demand the Board of Directors to adopt a conflict of interest policy for the officers, faculty and employees of Jaffna College that bars the latter from using the school as a venue for their private businesses such as catering, photography and construction work. Our sources tell us that some who are employed at Jaffna College as teachers and administrators are engaged in these businesses inside the school causing serious conflicts of interests.
The alumni note with disappointment and disgust that the Board of Directors of the school which include personalities well-respected in Christian circles in Colombo and Jaffna like Ms. Vijula Arulanatham (Attorney-at-law) and Dr. C.V. Selliah (Retired Principal of Uduvil Girls’ College) are indifferent to these malpractices and let powerful individuals to turn this prestigious institution into a breeding ground for corruption.
The Alumni Association of Sydney has also requested the Trustees to influence the Board of Directors to release to the public the current constitution of the Board of Directors and all relevant legal documents related to the moveable and immoveable assets of the College including buildings and lands.
In our last report on the developments at Jaffna College, we mentioned the appointment of a Deputy Principal to Jaffna College which surprised many members of the alumni as it was not discussed at the previous meeting of the Board of Directors. Now we learn that on the 23rd of January this appointment was confirmed via local newspapers in Jaffna. Initially this appointment was announced to the teachers of Jaffna College and some members of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India as part of the Bishop’s birthday celebrations on the 9th of November 2016.
In addition to this announcement, two new cars were ‘received’ by the Principals of Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls’ College from the Bishop, his wife and his brother. All three of them are members of the Board of Directors of Jaffna College. We could not confirm whether these cars were gifts by the Bishop and his family or the two schools should pay for these cars. Some wonder why the Principal of Jaffna College needs a new car as the school already has a HiACE vehicle for the Principal’s use.
At a separate function held on the same day, TNA MP M.A Sumanthiran declared open the newly built diocesan auditorium at Vaddukoddai. The name of the auditorium, SHILOH, besides its Biblical connections, is incidentally Mr. Sumanthiran’s daughter’s name too.
At a meeting of the alumni association held at Vaddukoddai in January, the Principal of Jaffna College finally accepted that the constitution of the Board of Directors was in fact changed and a copy of the amended constitution would be released to the Alumni Representative soon. When the alumni sought his clarification on this matter last year he was reported to be evasive in his response. While this statement by the Principal in January seems to resolve the mystery surrounding the constitution, it raises serious questions about the truthfulness of the statement made by Board members Dr. C.V. Selliah and Mrs. Suganthy Vairasinghe at the Annual General Meeting of the Jaffna College Alumni Association held in Colombo last year that no amendment to the previous constitution had been made. Old students of the school wonder whether the amendments were made without their knowledge or these two individuals hid this information from the alumni deliberately with a hidden agenda.
All these developments show that there is lack of democracy, transparency and accountability in the manner in which the Board of Directors of Jaffna College conduct their affairs. The alumni all over the world have lost faith in the current Board of Directors and are seeking stronger intervention from the Trustees to prevent further erosion of the values for which Jaffna College was founded in the nineteenth-century by American missionaries. The Trustees seem to be their only hope at present. With only a week left for the March 15 deadline for the Board of Directors, well-wishers of Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls’ College are keenly awaiting the next move by the Trustees to set things right at these two illustrious institutions.
Related Posts:
Crisis at Uduvil Girls’ College, Jaffna – A Report
Petition by the Students of Uduvil Girls’ College to the President
Uduvil Girls’ College, Politics of Education and the Challenges Facing Private Schools
Cut on the Funds to Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls’ College
Sinhala_Man / March 18, 2017
What ” Peace” and “Sathasivampillai” are saying is typical of the problems faced by Private Christian Schools throughout the country.
When teachers are recruited in this ad hoc fashion, is it any wonder that standards soon fall?
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Realist / March 18, 2017
Sinhala-Man,
“When teachers are recruited in this ad hoc fashion, is it any wonder that standards soon fall?”
Ad hoc? I see a clear policy of employing members of the JDCSI and supporters of the bishop, principals and the very new deputy principal.
Standards have fallen already.
Many of the appointed are actually qualified but teaching wrong subjects.
The deputy principal Anton Chandrakumar Francis is qualified to become the principal. He has a masters degree, the required teaching experience and is a Protestant Christian. His brother is Catholic and Anton Francis is not really a Protestant name so that I assume that he was born RC. I have heard that the bishop and Rev Antony were Evangelical or something before joining JDCSI.
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Anton / March 18, 2017
The Realist Approach,
The one who does catering for important functions at JC is none other than its Deputy Principal Mr. Anton Chandrakumar Francis. He has been doing this for a long time even from the days of Mr Rajanayagam as Principal (when AC Francis was a teacher). Mr. Noel Vimalendran as Principal gave some building contracts to A C Francis including the terribly-built score board. A C Francis made money out of these projects. He may have offered his services at a below market rate. But it is cronyism anyway.
Mr. Sithamparanathan Sivatharan who is a teacher at JC is the one who takes photographs during all the functions, prize day, sports meet. Apparently he charges a lot for these photographs. His father, a retired Principal, is teaching English at JC even now. The father must be in his late seventies or early eighties. Mr. Sivatharan was initially recruited as a Lab Assistant. Due to his proximity to the previous Principal Mr. Noel Vimalendran, he slowly started to teach in the Primary School. English and Hinduism, apparently. Now he has a degree too. His father worked hard to promote Mr. Noel Vimalendran as Principal (initiated a signature campaign) when there were doubts that Bishop Jebanesan was reluctant to promote him as Principal. When Noel Vimalendran became the Principal he rewarded the family with three jobs: father – a part-time English teacher, son – Lab Assistant (who later became a teacher), daughter – primary teacher (daughter is now in England – no longer a teacher at JC). The photographer cum teacher is very close to the current Deputy. They both worked hard to sabotage Ms. Rajasingham’s appointment as Deputy and were behind the letter sent to her house.
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Realist / March 18, 2017
Anton,
I have noticed the amusing names that some have used to comment JC.
“including the terribly-built score board.”
The JDCSI auditorium and the score board are not needed very much. Both are some kind of vanity projects when money should have been spent on the real needs of JC and JDCSI.
“When Noel Vimalendran became the Principal he rewarded the family with three jobs: father – a part-time English teacher, son – Lab Assistant (who later became a teacher), daughter – primary teacher (daughter is now in England – no longer a teacher at JC).”
More English teachers! Are these three not the first Hindus so far? Vimalendran of course is a convert.
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Revelation / March 18, 2017
This is one of the Hindu families that benefited.
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Uthayanan / March 18, 2017
Realist,
Uduvil Board (for some reason it is called the JDCSI board for Uduvil Girls’ College – JDCSI executive committee has authority (constitutionally granted) over Uduvil. Even the Principal’s appointment made by the Executive Committee of JDCSI)
Members:
Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel Thiagarajah (Chair)
Rev. Dr. D.S. Solomon (Principal JC – Secretary JDCSI),
Rev. Dr. S. C. Arnold (Treasurer – JDCSI),
Mr. R.M. Ratnarajah (Lay Secretary – JDCSI – brother-in-law of Solomon, grandson of Bishop Kulandran)
Mrs. Sujani Rajathevan (Assistant Treasurer – JDCSI – according to CT related to Dr Thayalini Thiagarajah)
Mrs. P.S. Jebamohan (new Principal of Uduvil)
Dr Mrs. Thayalini Thiagarajah (Manager of Uduvil – Bishop’s wife)
Rev. T.H. Vasanthakumar (JDCSI priest – his daughter is a teacher at Uduvil)
Rev. S. Kuganeswaran (JDCSI priest)
Mr. S. Nagiah (rtd. principal – JDCSI)
Mrs. I. Thavanayagam (Vice Principal, Victoria College – JDCSI)
Mrs. S.D. Virasinghe (Rep Old Girls, appointed by JDCSI council)
Rev. Sanjeewa Weerarathna (new Sinhalese pastor of JDCSI – by the way, JDCSI now has its ministry among Sinhalese)
Mrs. C.A. Thirukumar
Ms. Vijula Arulanantham (Anglican Church)
Ms. Savithri Sumanthiran (Methodist Church)
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Realist / March 18, 2017
Uthayanan,
“Uduvil Board (for some reason it is called the JDCSI board for Uduvil Girls’ College – JDCSI executive committee has authority (constitutionally granted) over Uduvil. Even the Principal’s appointment made by the Executive Committee of JDCSI)”
I know that the status of JC and Uduvil is somehow not the same but have forgotten the details.
Instead of gossiping we should do something more useful like nail our demands at the door of the JDCSI Cathedral Church but I will try to stop after this comment.
Rev. Dr. S. C. Arnold (Treasurer – JDCSI)
I believe that one of his daughters is a teacher at JC. Don’t know of any qualification.
Mr. R.M. Ratnarajah
Is or was in charge of maintenance or similar at JC. Appeared when Solomon took over.
Mrs. S.D. Virasinghe (Rep Old Girls, appointed by JDCSI council)
If this is true then Uduvil has no independent directors.
Ms. Savithri Sumanthiran (Methodist Church)
Any known qualification?
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Ancient / March 19, 2017
Realist,
Not sure nailing posters would work. The CSI leadership, the Bishop and his family members have little or no self-respect. Only people who do not care about their honour and respect will do the kinds of things mentioned in the report and the comments here. Recently the CSI opened a hostel called Gitanjali Hostel in Maruthanarmadam. Gitanjali is Bishop’s daughter’s name too. So the name Shiloh was chosen for the auditorium not because of its Biblical associations as this report says. It is to appease Sumanthiran.
“Is or was in charge of maintenance or similar at JC. Appeared when Solomon took over.” – correct. But the almighty God at Jaffna College, the Deputy Principal did not let him do any work in that capacity. Chandran Francis wanted to have the workers under his control. The only thing that Mr Ratnaraja was allowed to do was to work as the Principal’s driver. Later on the Bishop announced that R.M. Ratnaraja would function as the Bishop’s Secretary. Now we are told that he is the Lay Secretary of the JDCSI (his brother-in-law is the clergy secretary). Someone has to check whether R.M. Ratnaraja is drawing a salary from JC.
Savithri Sumanthiran is a science graduate who has done some work in education in the Methodist Church.
Arnold’s daughter is a teacher at JC. I think she has a degree. Most people at JC have a degree. If you have three passes in GCE AL you can easily get an external degree in Arts from Jaffna University or Peradeniya University. There is no difference in salary for external and internal graduates.
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Realist / March 20, 2017
Ancient,
“Most people at JC have a degree. If you have three passes in GCE AL you can easily get an external degree in Arts from Jaffna University or Peradeniya University. There is no difference in salary for external and internal graduates.”
I have noticed the same. There are also some who receive full pay study leave for college of education or other diplomas.
New “suitable” but unqualified/under qualified people are recruited and advised to get a external degree or diploma.
Wonder when JC advertised for a teacher last?
“Mr Ratnaraja”
Was also supposed to be an “employee of the Board” from 01/12/2013.
Is the B.A. of Anton Chandrakumar Francis an external degree?
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Ancient / March 21, 2017
Realist,
The last advertisement appeared in the latter part of 2014. The position was Science teachers (in English medium) for grades 6-11. Interviews were held in January 2015. The panel included the Bishop, the Principal, Mrs. Thavanayagam and Mr. Nagiah. Apparently none of them was qualified in Science subjects to interview these candidates. Three graduates (all good) were recruited. Many said the process was fair. Only one (Christian) stayed on at JC and the other two (Hindus) left JC to get government jobs.
(When Rev Paul was Principal he persuaded the Trustees to pay 2,000/- in addition to the salary JC teachers would get if they work at a govt school. Rev Paul took this measure to retain Hindu teachers at JC. But this additional payment was discontinued when Mr Noel Vimalendran was Principal.)
The trick was the administration and the Board of Directors also invited candidates with qualifications in Arts subjects for this interview. At least two of them faced the interviews. One with a qualification in Bharatha Natyam and the other in Home Economics. Both were recruited! The graduate in Bharatha Natyam is teaching in the senior school. The Home Economics graduate is in the Primary School. The names appear in Sathasivampillai’s comments. No 3 and No 7.
Chandrakumar’s is an external degree.
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Realist / March 21, 2017
Ancient,
“The last advertisement appeared in the latter part of 2014.”
I am surprised!
“The panel included the Bishop, the Principal, Mrs. Thavanayagam and Mr. Nagiah. Apparently none of them was qualified in Science subjects to interview these candidates.”
Is there any director qualified in science? The former CEB guy?
“Only one (Christian) stayed on at JC and the other two (Hindus) left JC to get government jobs.”
Why did the Hindus leave? This is one of the big questions that have to be solved to retain better staff.
“(When Rev Paul was Principal he persuaded the Trustees to pay 2,000/- in addition to the salary JC teachers would get if they work at a govt school. Rev Paul took this measure to retain Hindu teachers at JC. But this additional payment was discontinued when Mr Noel Vimalendran was Principal.)”
I have heard that JP Vimalendran (external degree in Math, first lab assistant and a convert?) demanded and received an additional 30,000 (or was it 50,000?) monthly extra for himself on top of the level of government salary for a principal. Hopefully this is not true.
“The trick was the administration and the Board of Directors also invited candidates with qualifications in Arts subjects for this interview. At least two of them faced the interviews. One with a qualification in Bharatha Natyam and the other in Home Economics. Both were recruited! The graduate in Bharatha Natyam is teaching in the senior school. The Home Economics graduate is in the Primary School. The names appear in Sathasivampillai’s comments No 3 and No 7.”
I will check later.
“Chandrakumar’s is an external degree.”
That is what I thought. Is he the owner of the pick up truck and renting it to JC? That is what I have heard but there is a lot of hear say.
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Ancient / March 21, 2017
Chandrakumar has a pick up truck and it was said he was renting it to JC. There is truth in it.
Hindu staff do not get any promotion at JC. If they join the govt schools,they can become Principals, administrators, educational directors, etc. But some are willing to stay on. The quality of the Hindu staff who are at JC is low in general.
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Realist / March 20, 2017
Uthayanan,
“Mrs. I. Thavanayagam (Vice Principal, Victoria College – JDCSI)”
Her sister-in-law and the niece or something of the sister-in-law are JC teachers.
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Sathasivampillai / March 21, 2017
Yes – her sister-in-law is a teacher at JC. She is teaching at JC even after retirement. She is a great teacher. Many parents like her to be their children’s teacher in Grade 1. Experienced. She is one of the few people in the Primary School who underwent the necessary Primary Teachers’ Training. She also lives in the building that was constructed for the guests.
Her sister’s daughter-in-law teaches English at JC. She is also known as capable. The only one at JC who underwent the English training program conducted by the teachers’ training college in Jaffna.
Mrs. Thavanayagam’s brother-in-law the later Mr Ernest Thambinayagam was a Board member and prominent church member.
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Northerner / March 19, 2017
Realist,
On Hospitals
In one of your comments, you seem to underplay the legacy of the mission hospitals. Moolai Hospital which you mentioned has a history of its own rooted in the once-thriving cooperative movement. There was in the 1980s a move to develop it as a teaching hospital for the transient private medical college. The cooperative movement was once happily linked to Jaffna College through the Youth Congress (next post).
The mission hospitals were on the other hand closely connected with the missionary drive for education and health, and Green Memorial was a pioneering medical college in this country. The hospitals today face the same fate as the schools – a lack of Christian commitment – sadly exemplified in stories (several of them well-founded) of embezzlement from mission institutions by persons at the top, often on a casual taken-for-granted fashion. Some were scrupulously honest.
As I observed before, there is a need for private medicine in Jaffna, and even the poor pay the extortionate fees demanded. The mission hospitals, with greater commitment, have the resources and connections to provide this service on a more compassionate and affordable basis, and these hospitals provided a homely atmosphere. It is for this purpose that the church has a quota of admissions to Vellore Medical College. I know of only one Vellore doctor serving in Jaffna at present. The rest of the beneficiaries of these scholarships are hardly to be found here.
The schools and the hospitals will together live and thrive, or will both disappear.
The commitment has to be on the ground. Unfortunately, the celebration of these institutions by OBAs , OGAs and churches abroad, with visits and functions where flattery is the norm, do little more than give false hopes and a little tinsel glory.
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Realist / March 20, 2017
Northerner,
“As I observed before, there is a need for private medicine in Jaffna, and even the poor pay the extortionate fees demanded.”
I actually think that the government hospitals are pretty ok and the poor have no choice. No private hospital in Jaffna offers the same services as JTH. The smaller private and government hospitals and clinics are for small health problems and all refer serious cases to JTH or other government specialist hospitals. As far as I know the very few surgeons, radiologists etc stay in Jaffna town. The patients travel not the doctors. JTH should reintroduce the paying wards that existed earlier.
I have read and heard about the big plans of Moolai Hospital but don’t believe that they will be successful.
“The mission hospitals, with greater commitment, have the resources and connections to provide this service on a more compassionate and affordable basis, and these hospitals provided a homely atmosphere.”
I have no experience of them. I have doubts about what Green Memorial or Moolai Hospital can do in an acute need like a broken leg or tooth ache.
“It is for this purpose that the church has a quota of admissions to Vellore Medical College.”
You mean the JDCSI? I did not know this.
All the JDCSI institutions have suffered from bad management.
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Northerner / March 19, 2017
Moolai Cooperative Hospital circa 1970 – K. Paramothayan
The Royal Commission on the Cooperative Movement in Ceylon did well to take note of this special feature when they observed of the Moolai Cooperative Hospital Society, “Though a small group of nine active societies, cooperative hospitals provide an extremely useful service. The pioneer among these, the Moolai Cooperative Hospital, was registered in 1936 and has become a unique society in a class by itself….
“It started as a cooperative dispensary established by pensioners from Moolai and adjoining villages who had returned from Malaya. A doctor and two apothocaries who were pensioners gave their services free of charge.”
The idea of a Cooperative Hospital was born of a genuine need for medical services, at a time when hospitals had not been established in all parts of the country. As a result, the residents of the villages of Tholpuram and Moolai had to travel a distance of about ten miles to the nearest hospital in Jaffna. By
1949 the Moolai Cooperative Hospital had 59 employees, including three medical officers and eight apothecaries (203). “Today Moolai Hospital Society has a membership of nearly 3000,” observed the Royal Commission,”a paid staff of 122 which inculdes 5 doctors, 10 apothecaries and 42 nurses, buildings standing on 5 acres of land and costing over Rs. 700,000, and beds for 140 patients. In 1968 it had provided out—door treatment to 15,375 patients and indoor
treatment to nearLy 5000..” (204).
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Lone Wolf / March 21, 2017
Plenty of facts and gossip here.
As far as I know the Boards of Uduvil Girl’s College and Jaffna College have not had a meeting. Even if the Bishop has sent something for the Trustees it is not the reply and plan from the Boards that the Trustees have requested.
According to the comments the situation at Jaffna College is bad. There are almost no comments on Uduvil Girl’s College. Are there no problems there? Was the new principal the only problem?
In my opinion the Trustees have made effective and good requests and the cut should continue until there is change.
What bothers me is the fact that the Trustees expect and need help from the alumni and parents but they have to my best knowledge never shared the Master Plan or audit from 2014 with others. Helping the schools is difficult based on a copy of two letters from the Trustees and some articles that have been published on CT, Sunday Leader and a Jaffna newspaper.
Bye until more news and action.
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Lone Wolf / March 21, 2017
“and some articles that have been published on CT, Sunday Leader and a Jaffna newspaper.”
This article was published on CT and Sunday Leader and then a translation was published in Jaffna.
Thank you for the excellent work!
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Lone Wolf / March 21, 2017
Sinhala_Man,
As you may have seen the Boards of Jaffna College and Uduvil Girl’s College consist of Protestant Christians except for one Hindu. The directors are mostly very well educated considering the education of our MPs and people generally speaking.
The only official requirement for the directors is that they are Protestant Christians except the Jaffna College alumni director. The principals of the schools should also be Protestant Christians with masters degree and teaching experience. Other staff can be pretty much anything as you have seen.
What is the back ground of the governors you have found? Any requirement expect that 80% must be Christians?
Please find the list below.
Rt Revd Dhiloraj R. Canagasabey (Chairman) Lord Bishop of Colombo and Visitor to the College Mr R. N. Asirwatham (Hony. Secretary) Mr. R Renganathan (Manager and Treasurer) Mr. Kavinda Dias Abeysinghe Mrs Nirmali Wickremasinghe Mr. Senaka De Fonseka Mr. Mithra Edirisinha Mr. Ray Abeywardane Dr. Arittha Wickramanayake Mr. Rajindra Jayasinghe Mr. Milinda Hettiarachchi Mr. Channa Asela De Silva Mr. Prabhath Jayasundara
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Sinhala_Man / March 23, 2017
The key requirement is that 80% should be Protestant Christians from the Five Churches that form the National Christian Council.
http://www.stcg62group.org/PDF/College/05_Rules_of_STC_Board_of_Governors.pdf
You could work it out from here:
The OBA members have to be members of their OBAs. This can be taken to mean that they must be Old Boys of the College, but some OBAs (e.g. Gurutalawa) will grant membership to persons who are not really Old Boys.
It looks as though Members of the Staff can be members of the BoG, except that they cannot be Staff Representatives. It is also mandatory that they be Members of the OBA and that they should be Christians.
No Academic of Professional Requirement is stipulated, and some have not even sat their O.Levels.
It is generally understood that all Members of the BoG, except the ex-officio Chairman (who is the Bishop) should be Old Boys, but there is no such stipulation. They needn’t be Sri Lankan Cirtizens.
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Lone Wolf / March 24, 2017
Sinhala_Man,
Thank you for your reply.
Mrs Nirmali Wickremasinghe cannot be an Old Boy can she? Is she a staff or parent rep?
Are these schools funded by fees and donations? No foreign or government money coming in?
One of the main problems at JDCSI and the institutions it controls is that there is no clear understanding (deeds, bookkeeping and other records) or even knowledge of what belongs to private persons, JDCSI and schools, hospitals etc. To complicate even more the opposition church CACM claims ownership to some of the property that belonged or belongs to the JDCSI.
In addition to the money from the Trustees Uduvil very recently was receiving other US Missionary funding. I don’t know whether this continues with the new principal and the cut by the Trustees. Jaffna College Institute of Technology also has some external funding in addition to the Trustee money and fees.
Despite the mess and general decline parents are still willing to send their children to the schools and even to pay for it.
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