Royal College Past Teachers’ Association Celebrates 20 years

The 20th Annual General Meeting of the Royal College past Teachers’ Association (RCPTA) is scheduled to be held on the 29th November 2014 at “The Sovereign” 100C, Road to Capital City, Rajagiriya. This communiqué is with regard to this event.

The Royal College Retired Teachers’ Association which was inaugurated in 1994 with 6 retired teachers is now a 314 member strong body. Subsequently the name was changed as Royal College Past Teachers’ Association to accommodate the teachers who left Royal College prior to retirement to join other schools.

The activities scheduled for the year is planned at the very first executive committee meeting of the RCPTA, each year, which includes the religious and social welfare activities, as well as local and overseas travel. Thereafter the executive committee meets every second Saturday of the month to review the execution of such events.

Communication of urgent news with the membership is effectively done through a network system, where the membership is divided into groups of 10 - 15 each, and the three assistant secretaries communicated the news to the group leaders who are all executive committee members and news reaches the members through this network in less than half a day. The urgent news includes the demise or serious illness of an RCPTA member or their immediate family and further group leaders constantly com-

The activities scheduled for

the year is planned at the very first executive committee meeting of the RCPTA, each year, which includes the religious and social welfare activities, as well as local and overseas travel. Thereafter the executive committee meets every second Saturday of the month to review the execution of

such events

municate with their members to inquire after their welfare.

Financial assistance amounting to Rs. 15,000.00 at the demise of a member and Rs. 10,000.00 at the demise of a spouse of a member is offered as a donation by the RCPTA. Further, Rs. 10,000.00 is offered during a major surgery including cataract surgery. As most of the members of the RCPTA being senior citizens, suffer from various ailments and are under medication on a regular basis the RCPTA offers a 30% discount on purchase of prescribed medication monthly and further, arrangements are made to deliver the medicine to their homes for those unable to go out to purchase them.

Our members enjoy the tours planned by the RCPTA every year, for which the expenses are borne by the members. During the first quarter of each year the RCPTA goes on a foreign tour; the members have toured India, Thailand, China, Egypt, Malysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, Dubai and Kenya in recent years. The local tours of the RCPTA include destinations such as Jaffna, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Thalaimannar, Somawathi, Madu Church and Nuwara Eliya. The RCPTA is supported often on these tours by Old Royalists both locally and overseas.

The annual medical camp conducted by the Royal College Doctor’s Association for the past and present teachers is an event the RCPTA members eagerly await each year. Many members had the privilege of detecting illnesses previously undetected, well in time to get early treatment. This medical camp is like a small hospital where consultations for all ailments are done under one roof in a day.

Remembrance of the dear departed members annually is done at an alms giving where the members actively participate and generously contribute. Continuing the true spirit of teaching, the RCPTA continues to work towards encouraging students of Royal College: in 2014, it offered scholarships to 6, Grade-6 students who are hostellers selected by the school where members and well wishers of the RCPTA have contributed generously where these students will receive financial assistance till they leave the hostel after completing their O’ Level Examination. In addition the RCPTA has made many donations to Narahenpita Shilpa Lama Niwasa, Sri Jayawardanapura Vajirasri Lama Niwasa, and Kotahena Gunananda Vidyalaya.

The RCPTA circulates a biannual newsletter to the membership which also contains information about upcoming events, details and photos of past events and also welcomes written contributions by members. Furthermore, members, Old Royalists and other well-wishers are able to contact the RCPTA through its website www. royalcollegepta. com where details of our membership, news of RCPTA, death notices, and tours with photographs are made available and is maintained with the assistance of generous sponsors since 2005.

In upcoming projects, discussions are underway regarding a very generous offer made by an old Royalist who is ready to donate a ten unit luxurious apartment complex to the RCPTA to be used as a retired teachers’ rest and the RCPTA is extremely privileged to be the recipient of such an offer.

The RCPTA works according to the constitution which has been drafted after careful consideration of all the needs of our members and this ensures the continuity as well as the smooth running of the association where opportunities are provided for the members to get together through a variety of event and sets an example to all other past teachers’ associations in the country. Mrs. Manel Munasinghe General Secretary Royal College Past Teachers Association