A long Journey with OSC
View(s):The Overseas School of Colombo is 65 years old, and I am privileged to have been in it for almost 30 years. I joined the faculty in 1981 as a member of the mathematics department. The school was called the ‘Overseas Children’s School’ at that time and the secondary school was located at Muttiah Road in Colombo 2. The Primary School was situated at Coniston Place in Colombo 7. A major change in the curriculum took place in 1983 with the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and as the youngest member in the department I was given the task of teaching ‘Mathematical Studies’ perhaps because it contained an internal assessment component called the ‘Mathematics Project’ and the idea of an internal assessment was something new at that time. A teachers Association was also formed in the same year with me as the founder treasurer, maybe because of my mathematical background. In 1984, the school moved to its present location at Pelawatte, Battaramulla, with spacious classrooms and a large playground. All items were moved to the new premises with the help of parents, students, and the staff. It was an underdeveloped area at that time and there were no shops in the vicinity of the school.
The buildings were constructed to distinguish the primary school, middle school and senior school and they were named after birds. The primary section was called ‘Plover’ and the middle school ‘minivet’. I cannot remember the bird’s name given to the senior school except that it starts with an ‘S’. There were large paintings of these birds at the entrance to these buildings done by the famous artist Gamini Ratnavira. The letters P, M and S are still used to identify the buildings. In 1987, when the country went through an internal crisis, the school was also set on fire. For a brief period, the classes were conducted in various Embassies and hotels in Colombo. The destruction of the fire was one of the reasons for choosing the ‘gecko’ as the school mascot, as the gecko has a long history representing good luck and many people regard the gecko as a guardian of the home. In 1990, the school was granted accreditation by the European Council of International Schools, and I remember the hard work put in by the faculty spending long hours attending meetings after school in preparation for the accreditation.
In 1990, I was appointed as the Head of the Mathematics Department. I was also the teacher in charge of Badminton, and I took the students to the Otters Club in Colombo 7 for practices and matches. At that time, I was also the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Badminton Association, which helped me to organise matches with local schools. The school was very supportive to me with my responsibilities as the Secretary of the Badminton Association, and readily granted me official leave especially when I had to visit other countries for various commitments. In 1992, the new gymnasium with indoor courts were constructed. In 1995, I left the Overseas School to take up an appointment in Hong Kong.
I returned to Sri Lanka and rejoined OSC in 2008. In the same year, I am very happy to have been able to inaugurate a service project with the SOS Children’s Village in Piliyandala, which is being continued since then. 15 children from the Village visit OSC on Thursday afternoons to follow an English enhancement session followed by a swimming lesson in our swimming pool. I am also happy to have been involved with the scholarship programme of the school where deserving Sri Lankan students are afforded an opportunity to pursue their secondary education following the highly recognised International Baccalaureate courses. I coached the Badminton team of the school for a few years and then handed it over to younger people to bring more vitality and energy. The school is doing extremely well in all sports activities winning championship titles at the tournaments conducted by the South Asian Inter-Scholastic Association.
It is now time to say good-bye to the school where I worked for 29 years although not continuously. It is a unique school where the student population is so diverse covering almost 40 countries, but at the same time cohabiting harmoniously giving true meaning to the school motto ‘Unity in Diversity’. It is an exceptional school where the infrastructure and classroom facilities create an environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and respected. It is an exclusive school accredited by three different agencies and the only school in the country to offer the world recognised IB curriculum. It is a premium school to study or to teach as all procedures and policies are in place in case of any dilemma, as seen during the peak of the pandemic as online learning continued even when the country was almost paralysed.
I am aware of many success stories of students who completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) at OSC. Dr. Uthpala Perera who was in my mathematics class is one of them. I would like to end with what he had to say, as it sums up beautifully about the education at OSC. “Having studied in a local government school until my O/Levels, the only possibility for me to join OSC was through the scholarship programme. It was only upon reflection after graduating from OSC that I truly understood the advantage of studying the IBDP at OSC. The IBDP prompted me to become an independent learner above the safety net of the academic staff of OSC. The IBDP is also internationally recognised, and several ranked institutions provide separate entrance pathways for IB graduates. This allowed me to enter one of the top-ranking universities in Asia to study engineering in Singapore. Life amongst the diverse community at OSC was also greatly helpful for an easier transition into a university life abroad. The IBDP’s holistic approach to education also ensured that I had the necessary environment to develop my skills on conducting research, communicating my findings and critical thinking. I continuously refer to these skills and experiences, even recently whilst completing my PhD in engineering in Japan.”
R.N.A. de Silva
ndesilva@osc.lk
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