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| Sunday, 24 November 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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A cry for recognition by Farah Macan Markar Groups of children crowd around rickety old tables in a large hall creating the atmosphere of a classroom. Their uniforms are off white, crushed and worn out from daily wear. Barefooted brown feet could be seen dangling amid those covered with black shoes. These are the children of St. Rita's College, Wennappuwa. A school in which 80 percent of its students are children of fishermen. Parents of another two percent of the children are abroad. And all the children are dependent on the school, not only for education, but also for stationery, books, clothing, shoes, medical facilities and even a sane environment to study in. Earlier known as Thaldeka Viduhale, the school did not even have a proper name. Although a government school, it is branded as a non-popular school, discriminating it. Ajith Perera, a devoted teacher working hard for the well-being of the children, speaking passionately such discrimination says, "I'm against this branding of schools. It is unfair because it creates prejudices. School is a place children go to learn. There should be no discrimination". In 1999 there were only 400 students in the school. Now it has grown to 600. However, it has a lot of drop outs for economic reasons. Most of the children here are employed after school hours. Their families are poor; their parents are either dead, sick, earn a measly income or have no job to provide for them. The children who are forced to become bread winners of the family cannot afford to come to school. Sometimes they cut school in order to go out and earn money. These children who have undergone a lot of hardship have to act like grown up men and women, doing the work of adults while trying to get an education. This year is a special year for the students of St.Rita's College for it is the first anniversary of the Students' Welfare Society and Help-A-Child Program. It is also the first year that the school has had a board of prefects, numbering 12. At the beginning the prefects did not have blazers because tailoring charges for the blazers cost Rs.35000. They could not afford that kind of money. "We did not want the children to go begging for money. We decided to let the children work for the money, so they could have some pride and dignity over it. The blazers would be of more value to them this way, as it is something earned out of their own effort", Perera explained. Within two weeks, after earning the money needed through various jobs, such as sweeping, weeding and colour washing, the prefects were able to get their blazers, which the head and deputy of the prefect body say, "We wore them proudly for the first time in the school sportsmeet held this year". A lot of prejudices and discrimination exists however in the surrounding area. People call the school a day care centre. The prefects have never been invited by other schools in the area for any event. Nor have any of the other schools come for any event they've been invited for by St.Rita's. Once they had an English Day and only the Colombo schools came. Another sad fact is that a lot of teachers do not like to teach here as it is considered a 'non popular school'. According to Perera, most prefer to teach in leading schools. "One teacher was sent here because he could not be sent elsewhere," he explained claiming that, the school is basically given "left overs" which is unfair to the students who are very hard working inspite of the many difficulties they have to cope with. The students here have been champions in wrestling for five consecutive years. A lot of them also sing well. Most of the girls sing in the church choir. They have developed their singing capabilities and won all island singing competitions for the school, the school authorities claim. "A lot of people, even children from other schools look down upon our school for it is branded as a non-popular school and most of the students are fishermen's children. Is it fair for people to make things worse for these children who have undergone so much hardship, by creating meaningless, prejudices? asks Perera adding that it is cruel and discriminating. St. Rita's College started by a French priest named Bugerel in 1919, was taken over by the government in 1960. However since the donation of a hall as an experiment in 1981, nothing else has been done by successive governments to help the school to develop. The authorities claim that the hall too was of no use to the children since it was too hot to wait in after 10 am. So the children rarely use the hall and still learn outside in the garden. Who will come to their salvation? Perhaps it's time officials concerned looked into this problem. |
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