Cleared, not cleared … cleared… not very clear

* Schools Rugby fiasco - Is Isipatana disqualified?

By S.R. Pathiravithana

It was not very clear whether it was a yo-yo contest or an education ministry issue. It all began with Royal Principal Upali Gunasekera pointing out to the Ministry of Education in the aftermath of their inter-school rugby encounter against Isipatana that their opponents had included an ineligible player in their final XV.

The charge was that Isipatana’s inclusion of a player who had fail the GCE (ordinary level) twice was a violation of clause 4(a) of the SLSRFA rule. To this charge Isipatana’s response was that the boy was in a revision class pending the outcome of the re-correction of the Mathematics paper (which is a compulsory subject) by the Ministry of Education.

An inquiry was held on September 11 and Isipatana was cleared of all charges when their principal Punyadasa Kuruppu produced a letter issued by the Ministry of Education indicating that the player in question was eligible to stay in school until the re-scrutiny was completed.

On Thursday, the episode took a U-turn when Education Minister Susil Premajayantha ordered the Ministry to carefully study the ministry circular regarding this issue and took the case off Deputy Director General of Education Magavanarachchi and handed it over to additional secretary of the ministry, W. Dharmadasa. The minister also ordered officials to expedite the re-scrutiny.

Speaking to The Sunday Times the Minister said: “When I was apprised of this issue I ordered the education directors to go through the circulars carefully and if the boy has flouted any laws he cannot remain in school”. Subsequently, Additional Secretary Dharmadasa issued a letter to SLSRFA President Hemantha Prematilleke that the player was ineligible to represent the school as he had failed the GEC (O/L) examination twice.

On hearing this development Isipatana Principal Kuruppu made an appeal to the Ministry of Education and got the order re-issued to the effect that the boy was eligible to be in school until the re-scrutiny was done and upon its outcome may or may not be able to continue his studies in the school.

SLSRFA secretary Kumar Rodrigo said he was aware of the present status of the case in question. “The President of the Association spoke to me and updated me on the present status and mentioned about the two letters that he received on Friday,” he said, adding that “with all these developments I do not know if we could go ahead with the President’s Trophy Knock-out Tournament.”

He also said there was a similar case regarding a player who represented St. Anthony’s College Katugastota while a disciplinary inquiry against Vidyartha regarding an incident that took place after their inter-school match against Ananda was also pending. Both cases will be taken up on the 18th of this month, he said.

The Principal of Nalanda College Colombo, Hemantha Prematilleke, who is also the President of the SLSRFA speaking on the issue said: “Last afternoon I received a circular from the Ministry of Education to the effect that the student in question was not eligible to represent the school, but after the Principal of Isipatana College made an appeal, the Ministry re-issued the circular permitting the boy to remain in school until the re-scrutiny is done”.

Airing his views on the matter Isipatana Principal Kuruppu said, “As far I am concerned there are no players who have flouted any laws representing Isipatana”.

Additional Education Secretary Dharmadasa said “We have given permission to the boy to remain in school until the re-scrutiny is made after we received an appeal by the Principal of Isipatana College”.