Trinco Tamil School holds prize giving day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 26 May 2004, 19:50 GMT]
Trincomalee Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayan, founded by the Methodist Church in 1823, held its annual prize giving Wednesday evening day with the Trincomalee district parliamentarians, Mr.R.Sampanthan and Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham as the chief guest and special guest respectively.

A view of the Trinco Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayam.

Trincomalee Zonal Director of Education Mr.K.Thilakaretnam was the distinguished guest.

Mr. Nagarajah Rajanathan, the Principal, in his annual report said this school founded in 1823 as a primary school was upgraded to a Maha Vidiyalayam in 1979 and 1 C grade school in 1981. He said his school urgently needed a new three-storied building.

Mr.R.Sampanthan said Vigneswara Maha Vidiyalayam is the only institution in the Trincomalee town that admits displaced students and other handicapped students without rejection amidst several shortcomings such as buildings and other education facilities.

He said this school needed urgent attention in its development by providing more buildings and an auditorium.

Chief Guest Mr.Sampanthan awarding prize and certificate to winner-student and other guests ( L-R ) Mr.Thurairatnasingham and Mr.K.Thilakaretnam seen seated behind.

Referring to the education in the northeast province Mr.Sampanthan said more than five thousand vacancies exist in the northeast Tamil medium schools for Tamil medium teachers. "However we noted that more than ten thousand Sinhala medium teachers are in excess in schools in other provinces excluding northeast," he said.

He said he would again take up this matter of teacher shortage now prevailing in the Northeast Tamil medium schools with the authorities concerned for immediate action. The past government agreed to appoint five thousand Tamil medium teachers to northeast Tamil medium schools but it could not materialize.

He said that the standard of education in the northeast has gone down badly. Jaffna district students secured first place in higher education in the past, before the war, but now it has gone down to fifth or sixth place in the country.

Principal Mr.N.Rajanathan reading his annual report.

He said Tamils failed to get qualified in the other open competitive examinations held for Law College admission and the Accountancy Service. Tamils also failed to get qualified in the country's Sri Lanka Administrative Service competitive examination. These shortcomings should be urgently rectified, as the northeast needed qualified and competent personnel to man the interim self-rule administration, which is expected to be established in the near future.

Zonal Director Mr.K.Thilakaretnam, and parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham also spoke. Guests awarded prizes and certificates to students.

The first anniversary issue of school magazine " ACHCHUTHAM" was released.


A section of parents and well-wishers attending the prize giving day.



School students sing welcome song