The controversy continues over the appointment of Brigadier (Rtd.) W. G .K. Udaya Aryaratne as the new principal of Trinity College, Kandy, with the Education Ministry yesterday warning that documents signed by the principal could be rejected.
Education Ministry secretary Nimal Bandara said the ministry had not approved the appointment because the present principal did not meet Education Ordinance requirements. He said the principal should not be signing any documents as Trinity College principal.
“The appointment of the principal is the school board’s responsibility, but the board must remember that the ministry has the final say,” he said. “We have informed the board about our stand on the matter, but we have not had any response so far.” Mr. Bandara said the ministry was not taking any action as Brigadier Aryaratne was serving as acting principal, but warned that the school could face problems as a result of the appointment.
“Applications for Ordinary Level and Advanced Level students should not be certified by the current principal, as these could turn out to be invalid documents,” he said. “For the present, we are accepting such applications so as not to cause the students undue trouble. In future, the school’s vice-principals should do the certifying.”
The Trinity College board of governors recently announced the appointment of Brigadier (Rtd) W. G. K. Udaya Aryaratne RSP, USP, C.Eng (I), AMIE as Acting Principal, with effect from November 1. The board stated that the appointment had been approved by the Ministry of Education under the terms of the Assisted Schools and Unaided Schools Regulations 1983.
According to Education Ordinance regulations, a principal should be a university graduate with at least 10 years of teaching experience. Brigadier Aryaratne has seven years of teaching experience in military academies.
Trinity College follows the national curriculum and receives free textbooks from the Ministry of Education. The Sunday Times also learns that a number of Trinity teachers are absorbed into the pension scheme.Meanwhile, Anglican Church Bishop for Kurunegala, Kumara Illagasinha, who heads the Trinity College board of governors, told The Sunday Times that the board had the power to appoint the principal. He said Brigadier Aryaratna would be mainly in charge of administration, while the two vice-principals would oversee the education aspect.
Last Monday, at a ceremony to welcome the new principal, Bishop Illagasinha said Trinity College had faced problems in the past when it came to the appointment of principals.
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