Rajiva Wijesinha

“ And that is why I regret so much the 20 years that have passed, since I first realized how much there was to do - or rather, how much could be done if only people and parents were freed to do what was best for their children. With the critical mass of those able to contribute so much smaller now than it used to be, I fear the opportunity has passed for ever. ”

“ Meanwhile the Parent Teacher Association at Bishop’s seems to have a Principal who refuses to believe that English medium textbooks have been prepared with the sanction of the Ministry. Perhaps such disbelief keeps the Bishop happy, but it does nothing for the children.
But this diffidence, and the endless series of crises that seem to affect our private schools is symptomatic I believe of the larger problem, namely the absence of diversity in our society. These schools do not need to strive for excellence, because without any effort they seem far superior to most others. ”

“ In that respect it would make so much sense for there to be an organization of private schools, which would also work out how they could, apart from improving the service they offer to their students, contribute to the state sector too. Targeted scholarships, a programme of internships for bright students to teach English for a few months in rural areas after their Advanced Levels, a system of teacher exchanges, could all be introduced, and would benefit donors as well as recipients. ”