My name is Namin Udan Kanchana and I am currently a second year Law student at the University of Colombo. I am where I am today mainly because of the support, encouragement and skills given to me by The School for the Blind, Ratmalana.
I first entered the school as a child who did not know anything and continued on until I passed my G.C.E Ordinary Level Examination with 7A grades. It was truly my school that strengthened me academically. Apart from teaching subject matter, The School for the Blind has also provided me and all other students with many opportunities to engage in the extra-curricular such as aesthetic activities, clubs and societies, sports, and student leadership positions, all of which helped mould my personality and character.
Some of my favourite memories are from taking part in the many Inter-House Athletic Meets. Truly our Inter-House Athletic Meet is a very unique event. Here, we gain the opportunity to compete under the three houses; Soysa, Bauser and Chapman in track and field events just as you would see in any sports meet in a traditional school. Like our sighted peers, we receive the opportunity to compete shoulder to shoulder, and it was in this manner that I was able to gain a large number of victories at the sports meets that were held at school. Another special moment in my schooling career was winning the championships in 2017 under my House Captaincy. In this manner, by making use of the many facilities and opportunities given to me at school, I was able to represent the province at the special educational sports meet. I was able to achieve awards for various events during the years of 2009, 2015 and 2017 at the provincial level and, as a result, make my school proud.
Cricket was another big aspect of school life. Even though I didn’t take part in cricket that much, my batch mates showed a keen interest and were able to represent school at many tournaments. Additionally, students were provided with opportunities to improve their thinking and strategic skills through activities such as chess, carom, and checkers.
Education is not all about the exams. Improving your personality is also really important. To ensure that, extra-curricular activities help us a great deal. Being able to adapt to either winning or losing, understanding your peers and working as a team are all lessons we learn through the activities that we participate in. Hence, by taking advantages of all the wonderful activities the school provides, we are able to learn to balance our academic and non-academic lives. These are the traits of a good citizen, one that could be a light to others. For me, that light was ignited at The School for the Blind, Ratmalana!