Sumedha College Gampaha owes a lot to its founder H.K. Dharmadasa
Sumedha College Gampaha was started 10 years ago, as a government approved, private school, following government syllabuses. As there had been many changes in the field of education in the island over the past two to three decades, we decided to start a school with a different outlook to that of a government or a standard international school.
The reasons for us to think differently was, the emergence of many international schools all over the island, where children were given western type of education from pre-school and primary levels onwards with less concentration on the mother tongue, Sri Lankan ways, our standards and national festivals. This resulted in, the products of international schools becoming more inclined to think that the western culture and western way of life is superior to Sri Lankan standards.
The reason for the revolution in the education of our country was the fear of the upper middle class and the rich over the future of their children due to terrorism, uncertain political instability and weaknesses in the government educational system.
High quality international schools, while giving good class room education, also concentrate on the other facets of complete upbringing of a child, such as sports, IT technology, English language and many more extracurricular activity which helps the child to build their personality and improve the outlook to life. But as we mentioned earlier, the standard child coming out to of the international school may develop a complex that the western life is better than ours and also may become less patriotic compare to a product from a Lankans to face them and defend the coungovernmenttry.school.
Because of the above reasons he primary section of our school follows Sumedha College took a differthe government syllabus and get the chilent path, that is while giving dren to sit for the grade 5 government scholeverything a child get from a arship examination. We believe, grade 5 govhigh quality international colernment examination is very important for lege, the child was also kept a present day child to get ready to face the within our society by getting very competitive modern world. Child cenhim/her to know about our tered education is practiced to the maxiproud history, culture, standmum at the primary school. The English ards, national festivals and our language, national festivals, religions, Sri supreme civilization. Lankans standards, sports and extracurric
By doing this, we try to reach ular activities are also a given prominent the most important goal that our place, apart from class the room education. motherland very badly needs. In the Junior School (Grade 6 to grade 11) That is to generate a set of Sri Lankans who we follow the government approved bilinhave the best of education, personality, courgual syllabus. Science, Health Science and age and patriotism to represent the country Maths are taught in English medium. IT is in the international platform. We strongly compulsory, English language, is given spefeel, that this is a, burning need of the councial prominence in the syllabus. English littry, as the internationally organized LTTE erature is optional and the other subjects terrorists are tarnishing mud on us in the are taught in Sinahala medium. According international arena because they do not to a research paper published by UNESCO, have an equal and opposite set of Sri teaching a child in two languages, not only help them to do their higher studies better an also broaden their knowledge immensely.
For their higher studies, all our children are diverted to bio science, engineering and IT fields. We do not encourage them to do arts and fine arts subjects. This is because we feel children who have knowledge in Health Science, Science and modern Information Technology can do better service to the country, can have a better life and have a better income. Furthermore even their outlook to themselves and their families with regards to day today life is superior to that of a person who does not know basics of Health Science, Science and modern Information Technology.
Depending on their age, physical growth, all children at Sumedha College are diverted to sports and recreations such as swimming, badminton, cricket, basket ball, chess, scouts, cubs, little friends and gymnastics.
Though, we give prominence to mould a Sri Lankan of international standard, at higher grades, even at the junior school level we give necessary guidance to keep them as Sri Lankan who respects mother tongue, religions, our culture and our way of life. This is being done so that, we’ll have a set of patriotic Sri Lankans who can do the needful in the international arena.
August 9 is the first death anniversary of Deshamanya Deshabandu H. K. Dharmadasa. He was the founder of Nawaloka conglomerate and was the most prominent social worker of our era. Sumedha College was started with the funds donated by this great philanthropist. We dedicate this article to late Mr. H. K. Dharmadasa and Sumedha College will take every possible step to practice and preserve his vision for our motherland forever.
Dr. Wilfred Wijesinghe Chairman- Sumedha College
Gampaha gampaha@ydc.lk, www.ydc.lk