Reminiscences of my short stint in teaching

by HM Nissanka Warakaulle

In the late 1950s, the University of Ceylon authorities used to send a form to every undergraduate sitting the final examinations for those who were desirous of serving as teachers to furnish their personal details and mention two districts in order of preference, where they were willing to serve. Most undergraduates duly filled up the forms, and others were not interested in teaching. Most of us who wanted to get a teaching position not because we wanted to make teaching our career, but to mark time until we secured a job of our choice.

I finished my last paper on the 26 April 1962, and went home. Two days later, I got a letter from the Ministry of Education appointing me as a teacher at the Maha Vidyalaya in Dambulla with effect from 02 May, just six days after sitting the final examination! My first preference was Kandy District. I had mentioned Matale as my second preference not realising that the Matale District extended up to Sigirya. My neighbour, Tissa, had received the appointment to Holy Trinity College, Nuwara Eliya. He wanted me to accompany him to Nuwara Eliya to see how the school was. When we reached the school and met the Principal, Mr. Atapattu, I was happy to hear that he was an old boy from my own school, Kingswood College, Kandy. Tissa was happy and accepted the appointment.

On the afternoon of 01 May, I left home with a travelling bag filled with my clothes and linen and took a bus to Kandy and then a bus going to Anuradhapura. When the bus stopped at the halt near the Dambulla temple, I alighted from the bus and inquired from a person in a boutique for directions to get to the school. He gave the directions correctly and I wended my way to the school.

Before I proceed with my experiences in the school, I thought I should describe what Dambulla was at that time. There were only four permanent government buildings, namely, the hospital, police station, school and Rest House; and the small building for the circuit judge to hear the cases which were taken up monthly. The roads did not have any streetlamps and there was no pipe borne water. The well situated in close proximity to the school was the only available source of water for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing. As the well was a deep one we had to draw the water with a pail that was operated through a pulley tied onto a beam above the well. However, the water was brackish. Whenever I went to the school after dark, I had to carry a powerful torch to see whether there were any serpents on the roads.

The school was situated halfway on the road that connected the Kandy Road and the Kurunegala Road. When I reached the school and walked in, there were three men in sarong in an old building built with granite bricks. The building was partitioned into two sections. One section was the temporary hostel for the teachers and the other was occupied by the Public Works Department (PWD) Overseer. As I entered the premises, the three men were wondering who I was. I introduced myself and told them that I have been appointed as a teacher at that school. They introduced themselves to me as Jayasuriya the graduate Slnhala teacher (who had been a monk up to graduation), the second (who used to wear the national dress) and Wimalweera by name, as the Mathematics teacher and the third, Bandara as the teacher in charge of Music. Fortunately for me there was a bed with mattress and pillow and a net. The net was an important item in that area as there were tarantulas and other dangerous insects such as the centipedes, and serpents such as mapilas.

Having completed the preliminaries of introductions and accommodation, the three teachers told me about how the hostel was run. We had to pool and buy the requirements for the tea in the morning and afternoon. All three meals were provided by a woman who was known by the sobriquet “Buthamma” and this appellation had stuck with her for the rest of her life. I had no clue as to how hygienically the food was prepared. But then there was no alternative and from what I could fathom no one has had even a mild irritation in their abdomens, and of course, the food was palatable. I agreed to these, and the money was paid at the end of the month for the tea to Jayasuriya and to the “Bathamma” for the meals.

The following morning, I got ready and went to the school. The school comprised tow long buildings for the classes and a room for the Principal’s office. The Principal, Mr. Wickramaratne commuted daily by bus from home which was close to Matale. He used to wear the western attire, sans the tie. I introduced myself divulging the subjects I had done while reading for the degree at Peradeniya. I had been sent as a replacement to a lady teacher, Mrs. Alwis, who was going on transfer. That day she was also present, and it was a wonderful sight to see all the students who had studied English, Geography and Government going down on their knees and worshipping in appreciation of the work she had done as well as to bid adieu. We could see Mrs. Alwis’ eyes welled with tears at the way the students did it.

I was assigned to teach Geography, Government and English in the HSC (now Advance Level) class and English and Geography in the SSC class (now Ordinary Level). English was of course a cake walk. But the other two modules were real killers, especially Geography. I had done my degree in the English medium and now I had to teach in the Sinhala medium. I had to refer to the glossaries to get the equivalent of the English terms and prepare for the lessons. I did not study so hard even to sit the final examination at the university! Fortunately, I mastered it by the end of the first year and thereafter I had no problem.

I took up the teaching appointment at Dambulla thinking that I would be able to get to a school in or closer to Kandy. This was because the company in Dambulla was not that enjoyable, and I also missed my participation is sports activities. In my second year there were five teachers who came to Dambulla after finishing their training at Maharagama. They were Upali Nanayakkara, Vithanage and Benedict Fernando and two lady teachers of whom I remember the name of one, that is, Ms. Dharmaratne. A little later another graduate from Peradeniya, Premadasa joined the staff. Now it became a little more interesting. Though these young teachers were boarded in houses close to the school, on and off we used to meet to play some softball cricket on the playground opposite the school along with some of the boys of the school and other residents. We also used to go to the courts when in session to listen to the cases being heard. Once in a way we used to go to the Rest House to have a quiet drink(it was only Jubilee beer that we had) and have some fun at the expense of Premadasa, who never lost his temper though he was the butt end of all the jokes.

There was a Physical Training Instructor (PTI), Mr.Silva, who used to go to Kandy to play for the Education team in the tournament conducted by the Kandy District Cricket Association on duty leave. I told him that I too played cricket. I accompanied him to Kandy on a day a match was being played and he introduced me to the captain of the Education team, Balasooriya. I was included in the team thereafter and played in the team in all matches thereafter even after changing schools. Justin Perera and Henry Jayaweera from Talatuoya Central school (who later became my colleagues on the same staff) and Bertie Nillegoda who was a relative of mine and a teacher at St. Sylvesters College, Kandy (and later became the Principal of that school) were the others known to me. We really enjoyed meeting together more than playing in matches.

While at Dambulla a few of us went to Polonnaruwa to engage in a shramadana campaign to clear the roadway to the Somawathie stupa as there was no macadamized road to the chaitya at that time. The entire area surrounding the chaitya was a dense forest. We noticed there were footprints and dung of the wild elephants on the way to the chaitya. The other trip we made was to a village called Makulugaswewa off Galewela for the music teacher to record some folk songs by the villagers. The villagers were very obliging and rendered some of the folk songs they used to sing at functions like harvesting or transplanting of paddy.

The heartening news I heard later was that a few of the students I had taught had entered the university, graduated and had been successful in joining the Sri Lanka Administrative Service.

After having completed almost three years I requested a transfer to a school in Kandy. But the Principal used to always state that I could be released if replacement is given. Though his predicament was understandable I was not happy. So, I decided to go and meet the Director of Education at Kandy, Mr. Welagedera and told him that I must have a transfer to a school in Kandy or else I would have no alternative but to tender my resignation. He gave me a transfer to the Maha Vidyalaya in Ankumbura.

When I got the letter, I did not know where the school was located. After verifying the location, I embarked on the trip to the school on the first day of term. I had to take three buses to get to the school, that is, first from home to Kandy, then from Kandy to Alawathugoda and the third from Alawathugoda to Ankumbura. I can remember the Principal, a Mr. Abeyratne, a graduate teache, Mr. Ekanayake and the lady music teacher who was from the same school as the music teacher at Dambulla, namely Talatuoya Central. I had to get up at 4.00 am, have breakfast get ready and leave home. I felt bad more than for myself for my mother as she had to get up very early to get the meal ready. After school when I returned home it was about 3.00 pm and that was the time, I had my lunch. At the beginning of the next term two other graduates known to me at Peradeniya, Navaratne ( Koti Nava), and Lelwela and another graduate, also named Navaratne joined the staff. Koti Nava later joined the Ceylon Transport Board and Lelwela the Sri Lanka Export Development Board.

After two terms I thought enough was enough and went and met Mr. Shelton Ranaraja who was our MP and known to me and told him that I needed a transfer to a school close to home. He arranged a transfer to Talatuoya Central school. This school was just four miles from home, and I had to travel against the traffic as the buses from Kandy to Talatuoya were almost empty and it took me only half an hour to get to school. On the first day of term, I went and met the Principal, Mr. Gallela. He greeted me well and assigned me Geography in the HSC and SSC classes and English in some junior classes. Justin and Henry were there, and in addition Lal Wijenayake, who joined Peradeniya in my final year and who was in the same Hall with me, Mr. and Mrs. Silva (who came to school by car), Shelton Perera, who along with Lal joined the legal profession laterand practiced in Kandy.

Henry was training a football team with practices being held on a playground just a little bigger than a tennis court and with hardly any grass. I thought I too should do something to help the children and thought of starting hockey. The boys in that school had not seen a hockey stick leave alone a hockey match. I told the Principal what I had in mind, without expecting much support. However, I was taken aback when he agreed to release the money needed to buy all the equipment required for the purpose! I went ahead and purchased all the equipment from Chands, the sports good shop in Kandy at a discount.

I trained two teams, namely, the under 19 and under 17 teams, concentrating more on the latter as they would be playing for a longer time. Then to everybody’s surprise, the under 17 novices team beat the Nugawela Central college team, which had been playing hockey for some time. The Principal and the other members of the staff were very happy.

During the interval, Justin, Lal, Henry, Tudor, Mr. and Mrs. Silva, Shelton and myself would meet in Justin’s Laboratory to have a snack brought by one teacher and a cup of tea. We used to take turns to bring the snack to share. Of course, a few of us who used to smoke would enjoy a quick puff. It was a very good time that all of us had.

Tudor Dharmadasa, who was one year senior to me at Peradeniya, was also a teacher at Talatuoya and he was the teacher in charge of the hostel. The hostellers were provided with all three meals of the day. When I inquired from Tudor how much it costs to feed the boys, he told me that they were given funding at the rate of Rs. 3.00/- per student per day to cover all three meals! I was a bit surprised. But he assured me that there was no problem, and it was done to the satisfaction of all concerned. He wanted me to come one day and taste the lunch provided. I accepted the invitation and found the food quite good and palatable.

While at Talatuoya Central, Henry Jayaweera and I used to umpire school hockey matches in Kandy, Peradeniya and Gampola without any payment. Both of us enjoyed it. I also attended a one-week hockey coaching camp at Nuwara Eliya where I and my vice- captain at Peradeniya, SB Ekanayake were the coaches. The boys who followed the coaching had never played hockey before nor had they even seen a hockey match! But at the end of the camp most of them had mastered the art.

After teaching at Talatuoya for two terms, I received a letter from the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) summoning me to appear for a viva voce at the CTB Head office in Narahenpita. I went on the designated day and faced the interview panel. The following week I received a letter from the CTB indicating that I had been selected and to assume duties on 16th June 1966. I informed the Principal, gave him the letter of resignation and bade farewell to the teachers of the tea club and left the school giving up teaching at last. Anyway, all in all, it was a happy ending as I really enjoyed teaching at Talatuoya Central school.