Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis

It is a matter of great joy for me to stand here today and distribute prizes at St. Nicholas' International College, Negombo that completes her seventh year of existence. I remember vividly the launching of this school here in Negombo. In spite of the anxieties we experienced at the moment it was with firm hope that we ventured to initiate this project.

Archbishop Emeritus Oswald Gomis

No doubt we have not been confounded. Our hopes have been largely fulfilled and so much has been achieved in so short a time perhaps creating history in the field of Catholic education in Negombo. This success is not without great effort and dedication. First of all I have to congratulate and thank the Principal Mr. Anton Perera and then his dedicated staff and Rev. Fr. Jude Nicholas in particular and those who remained long with us in service.

There's no doubt that it is impossible for any school to achieve growth and success without the cooperation of the parents and the students. This I learn has been readily forthcoming. Therefore I thank them too. It is also my duty to thank the parish priest especially Fr. Roshan Fernando and the members of his Parish Council for the support they have extended all these years.

While I congratulate St. Nicholas` International I must mention that this school is different in its structure and management from the other Catholic schools run by the Church. There were serious reasons for us to launch into the field of education using this new format; and much as there are persons who have still not comprehended the reasons for our launching into this type of school, our parents have been wiser to grasp its value and patronize us.

I am happy that the school has and is performing well in the field of studies. I am particularly happy to note the tone of religious education imparted here. Today religious education has become just a slogan in most of our state schools, be it the religion of the majority or any other. Catholic education especially is at the receiving end and is at stake. We could be happy that here we have not just an intellectual exercise but a formation of life.

While I have said all this I would like to add my appreciation of one particular aspect of school life here - and that is the role of the parent here. No doubt, the parent is the "Primary educator of the child" Therefore it is not enough for the parent to readily accept what the school does, or expect the school to do everything. There must be a communitarian aspect in the school which could become a great strength and epitomizes trust and reciprocity. I am happy that this school does not allow the parents to abdicate their responsibility. On the contrary I see their cooperation absorbed by the school.

This is clear from the various programmes that have been organized by the school authorities. In the light of this, I appeal to the parents not to develop a consumer attitude to the school just to pay fees, require regular reports and assume that teachers are answerable to them. Parents who think and act so, are not assuming their status as "the primary educators". The school is trying her best to implement a process of inclusion for parents that enable them to become partners with teachers and become significant persons in their children's lives, in the school's educational processes.

Therefore my dear parents be close to your school, be close to your child. Here in the school we play our role but without your cooperation and especially your example and concern, our effort would be futile. Often we are highly perturbed by what we hear from children about their parents I do not want to expand on the subject but I believe it suffices to say here in parable - The most important thing that a father could do for his children is to love their mother and (vice versa) and that a mother could do for her children is to love their father.

In conclusion, let me congratulate the prize winners of today and wish them better in the future. I also congratulate all the others who tried but did not reach the expected mark this year. They have the future, may I conclude telling them that the highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it but what he becomes by it.

Therefore every failure, every adversity, every misfortune carries with it a seed of undeveloped prosperity.
The above is an address by the Most Rev. Dr. Oswald Gomis Patron/Chairman St. Nicholas' International College, Archbishop Emeritus Colombo, Chancellor of the Colombo University.