Horizon College marks three years of successful operations
September 16 marks Horizon College International’s third anniversary – three years of nurturing the hundreds of children under their care at the purposebuilt school in Malabe, surrounded by vast open spaces and an abundance of greenery, so in tune with nature. And in this short space of three years, the college has grown in leaps and bounds – posting a 300 per cent growth in admissions, a feat that the management of Horizon can be justifiably proud of.
The secret of Horizon’s success could be attributed, in the main, to the fact that the school authorities have given, and continue to give the highest priority to discipline of the children on roll, and it is that discipline, instilled in the students from the first day they enter the portals of this educational institute, and underscores every academic and extra- curricular activity, that has helped the students reach great heights – both academically as well as in non-academic spheres. While every facility needed to provide quality education is available, other areas of activity including a wide range of sports, as well as singing, speech and drama, music, dancing, et al., are available within the premises. All of these have made Horizon College International much sought after by parents who have come to realize the importance of the value- based education it offers.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Upul Daranagama, with over 17 years of hands-on experience in successfully running educational establishments that have had proven track records, had a dream – to establish a good, quality international school that would provide an international standard of education that would lead to world class qualifications, underscored by Sri Lankan values. Towards this end, he started identifying a suitable location on which a school could be built, to include and cater to every possible need to provide wholesome education. Thus the present location of the school ( and subsequently Horizon Campus) in Malabe, away from the disturbances that schools and educational establishments in cities are subjected to, have served to provide quality education in ideal surroundings to the nearly 1000 students on roll at the college at present. Currently, the campus caters to nearly 300 students and undergraduates who are following diploma and graduate programmes leading to world class qualifications, both diplomas and degrees. As such, under one roof, quality education is provided from nursery to primary to secondary, tertiary and postgraduate qualifications.
The rationale behind this move that the MD/CEO Upul Daranagama mooted was to ensure that when a child joins Horizon at an early age, she/he is not only provided with quality education but their progress is monitored throughout; they are nurtured, their behaviour, well-being and activities are monitored, and they are guided to become disciplined and responsible citizens – two aspects that are so vital in today’s context. The management also ensures that it’s not only the children under their care but they too, the teachers, and the parents adhere to laid down stipulations vis-à-vis discipline, thus leading by example. The students are told, lucidly, ‘No discipline – no success!’ The emphasis on discipline at Horizon therefore has proved to be one of the strongest pillars of success.
Yet another facet of Horizon that has contributed towards its success in a short span of time since its birth is that communication between all stakeholders – the management, staff, students and parents – is given priority. Lack of communication has led to many issues at all levels – as any professional, in particular, will vouch for. As such, the doors are open for all stakeholders to communicate with each other, as and when necessary.
The management of Horizon College International’s bold decision to set up its operations in Malabe, in itself, was a challenge – among the questions that begged answers initially were ‘who would want to come to a school this far?’ when so many other educational institutes are readily available in the cities and the suburbs. However, the decision to set up the school of which every classroom and every facility was built, on the bare land that was obtained for the purpose, has paid dividends as parents, most of who are professionals in various disciplines sought admission for their children, realizing that the best is available – from A-Z. The support of the parents has given the management added impetus to strive for even higher goals towards providing quality education, ably supported by the nearly 100 staff on roll, all of who have the necessary qualifications to impart knowledge to students under their care.
Maryann Hills, the Principal of Horizon College International, also with years of hands- on teaching experience, both in Sri Lanka and the overseas, has ensured that state-of-the art facilities are made available to the students to learn, and for the teachers to provide for the same, through restricted numbers in each class. A classroom generally has 20 students and in a given situation does not exceed 25. If the numbers were to go up due to demand, for example 30 students, the class is split to have 15 children in two parallel classes. And each class from the nursery to the primary has the two adults – the teacher and an assistant teacher. While the medium of instruction, overall, is English, the two national languages – Sinhala and Tamil – are taught to all children up to the primary level as the importance of the national languages as link languages is mooted at Horizon. With the availability of French, taught from Grade 3 upwards, students at Horizon, from a very young age, are conversant in four languages – a rare feat in Sri Lanka’s education sector. When children reach the Ordinary Level stage, they are free to choose if they wish to continue with French or veer away, depending on their career path. In fact, Japanese and German are to be introduced in the near future, thus giving the students further opportunities of learning foreign languages that are bound to open many avenues when it comes to employment later on.
The fact that information technology is an important part of today’s climate has been taken into consideration at Horizon. The use of the computer is taught to children from the time they enter the nursery, and is continued through pre- primary and the upper school. Extra- curricular activities – music and drama – are part of the curriculum as are activities pertaining to the four major religions – Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Important religious festivals are observed with all the attendant activity with the participation of the entire school; thus each child learns to respect and appreciate the different religions and cultures, all of which promote peace and harmony among the students and their parents.
Thirty eight classrooms, well-equipped science labs, special chemistry labs, computer labs, library, reading room, clean toilets and other facilities make this school that nestles amidst lush greenery, stand out. The newly opened Child Care Centre – for infants from three months to five years – has proved to be a boon to the increasing number of working parents who do not have trustworthy domestic aides to take care of their children when they are at work. The Centre, with a qualified and USA experienced teacher at the helm, extends its facilities to children from other schools as well whose parents have no reliable person to care for their children when their school day is over. The Child Care Centre at Horizon has all the facilities to provide for such children to be so taken care of, including having a shower, engaging in their home work, reading, and watching quality programmes on television. Transport too is made available to fetch them from whichever point they would be, and brought safely to Horizon till the end of the day when parents can fetch their offspring and take them home.
Additionally, school transport is also made available on request – children are fetched from a point closest and brought to school and taken home at the end of the day. Eight school buses operate to various locations to provide this service at a minimal cost.
The college has a fitting complement of teachers, qualified and competent, who have in fact joined the Horizon family from other educational establishments, and who are dedicated and committed to the cause – that of meeting the expectations of providing quality education while instilling discipline to the children under their care.
While the swimming pool is due to be opened in the foreseeable future, basketball, table tennis, netball, chess and scrabble are actively promoted with the smaller children being encouraged to participate in mini basketball and mini soccer.
Plans are also afoot to provide accommodation and board to students who may require this service, thereby making the institution similar to those reputed colleges around the world that provide such facilities.
And so Horiz o n C o l l e g e International will be embarking on another year of academic and extracurricular activities, while maintaining the momentum, and striving for further achievements in the year ahead.