CHIEF GUEST at Annual Prize Giving - 2024 - DAHARMAPALA VIDYALAYA PANNIPITIYA

It was a great honor and privilege to be the Chief Guest at the Annual Prize Giving of my Alma Mater, Dharmapala Vidyalaya Pannipitiya held 29th August, 2025. Following are some photos and my speech at the event:

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Good afternoon, respected Principal, dear teachers, invited guests, parents, well-wishers, and my dear students.

It is both an honour and a great privilege for me to stand before you today, not only as your chief guest but also as a proud former student and Head Prefect of this great school. Coming back to the school atmosphere brings back a flood of memories, lessons, and life-long friendships.

It is a great honor and a moment of deep personal pride to stand before you today as the Chief Guest for this Prize-Giving Ceremony. I am especially delighted because this is not just any school — this is my alma mater. Many years ago, I stood here not at the podium, but among the students, like you — and It is a great privilege of serving as the Head Prefect during my time in the school.

To be back to a similar ceremony where I once received my own certificates and trophies, fills me with nostalgia and gratitude. It reminds me of the strong foundation this school provided — not just academically, but in shaping character, discipline, and leadership.

Today, I congratulate all the prize winners. Your hard work, focus, and determination have brought you well-deserved recognition. These achievements are stepping stones — may they inspire you to reach even greater heights.

To all the students here today: education is your greatest tool. But knowledge alone is not enough. Hard work, consistency, and discipline will take you further than talent alone ever will.

Prize-giving day is not only for those who receive awards — it is a celebration of everyone’s effort. Whether you won or not, remember: every step you take forward matters.

The world beyond school is exciting but challenging. You will face competition, doubt, and even failure. But never fear failure — embrace it as a teaching. Let every experience, good or bad, be a stepping stone to success.

Always remember your roots. This school is where you began your journey — come back, contribute, and carry its legacy forward.

The Dharmapala Vision and Mission calls for producing citizens cultured by the Anagarika Philosophy comprising of set of exclusive competencies essential for future world of work. It is intended to produce well rounded citizens who will have the vision, capabilities and leadership skills for taking the country to great levels in the global arena.

I would like to share with you a few topics which may serve as a help to organize your future within the school and beyond.

One important thing is to:

Embrace Technology:

It is very important to wisely embrace the technology that is fast developing around us.

As you all have already realized it is very important to be familiar with ever developing information technology for your advantage. ELearning or use of computers in learning is already an essential part which we cannot live without. ELearning provides you with opportunity to learn your subjects anywhere anytime at your own pace. Try to use the different methods for learning, that is, face-to-face learning in class rooms, learning using educational software, collaborating with teachers and students using computer networks, etc. Take the advantages that technology provides for better learning and sharing experience and knowledge. Use of multiple methods for learning this way is called Blended Learning. ELearning is not inferior to face-to-face learning provided proper instructional designs and teaching and learning settings are put in place.

Use of Artificial Intelligence is also recommended. Many argue that artificial intelligence provides opportunity for academic cheating. It is a big task for the academics today to scrutinize the student submissions to see whether the students have actually done the work themselves or they have tried to cheat the teachers by presenting the AI produced work as their own. There is a big debate to define AI as a cheater or teacher (tutor). Students should use the AI for gathering information in an expeditious manner, and final analysis and discussion should be done by the student using their own analytical skills, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, etc. Otherwise, the required cognitive development of the student will not happen. The students will be the looser at the end, especially when they go to the real world and try to tackle problems there.

Let me elaborate a little bit about what is expected from a student who graduate from high school. These are called Graduate Outcomes.

Graduate Outcomes for High School Students:

High school graduates are generally expected to have mastered core academic content, possess critical thinking and problem-solving skills, be able to collaborate effectively, communicate clearly, and demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt. Beyond academics, expectations include developing positive attitudes about learning, a sense of responsibility, and preparedness for future education or careers.

Following are some major expectations:

Academic Excellence:

Students should demonstrate a solid understanding of core subjects and be able to apply this knowledge to new situations.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:

Graduates should be able to analyze information, identify problems, and develop solutions using various tools and techniques.

Collaboration:

Students should be able to work effectively with others to achieve common goals.

Communication:

Graduates should be able to express themselves clearly and effectively in both written and oral forms.

Learning to Learn:

Students should be able to monitor their own learning, identify areas for improvement, and adapt their learning strategies, especially on how to take notes, develop conceptual maps, sketches, etc.

Mindfulness: It is important to learn how to be in the present moment, without being distracted by other matters. This is a very important skill that both youngsters and others should develop. The students will be able to concentrate on their studies better and achieve more productive results of their efforts.

Academic Mindsets:

Students should have positive attitudes and beliefs about their ability to succeed academically, including a commitment to completing tasks and striving for quality.

College and Career Preparation:

High school should equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in post-secondary education or the workforce.

Financial and Digital Literacy:

Students should be prepared to manage their finances and navigate the digital world.

Civic Engagement:

Graduates should understand their responsibilities as citizens and be prepared to participate in their communities.

Personal Growth:

Senior year often brings unexpected emotional growth and maturity as students prepare for their next chapter of their lives.

Get ready for student-centered learning. Student-centered learning is an educational approach that prioritizes the needs, interests, and learning styles of individual students. It shifts the focus from the teacher as the primary source of knowledge to the student as an active participant in their own learning process. Students are

actively involved in the learning process, rather than passively receiving information. This can involve hands-on activities, group work, discussions, and projects.

What are the skills and qualities the students should develop to be successful in the life beyond the school? The skills developed in the school need to be further enhanced and new skills need to be acquired when you enter the world outside the school.

There are many skills and qualities that graduating high school students should develop while they are in the school. Use the time spent in the school wisely to develop yourself academically and personally. This is a great opportunity which you should not miss. The mistakes you do here are easily forgiven and opportunity to correct them is provided by the teachers. Once you are out in the society nobody would look at you with empathy and mistakes may have costly outcomes. Therefore, use the great opportunity given at school to prepare yourself adequately for the greater and competitive world.

There are different types of skills that are in demand outside the school; Hard Skills, Soft Skills and Transferrable Skills are some main categories.

When I am requested to provide mentorship to I usually talk about the importance of different skills the students should have. I would like to spend some time elaborating this.

Required Skills

It is recognized that for a graduate to secure a job and keep it, certain skills need to be acquired and maintained. These skills are known as Hard Skills and Soft Skills. It is also established that a good balance of the two types of skills is a prerequisite for a successful career. The actual balance between the two types of skills necessary to be successful could depend on the type of business or situation you are in. What are the hard skills and soft skills?

Hard Skills

These are the core skills that graduates primarily gain through their education and training at their academic institutions. These skills would vary from profession to profession or business to business. They can include skills such as engineering design, accounting strategies, computer programming, clinical diagnosis, criminal investigation, legal analysis, etc. These are the skills required to carry out the core business of an organization and to get the job done. Hard skills are teachable and measurable.

In practice however, it is proven that the hard skills alone are not sufficient to run a business successfully or a graduate to be professionally successful. A set of soft skills is also needed.

Soft Skills

Soft Skills are also known as People Skills or Interpersonal Skills. They are not easily teachable as compared to hard skills. Soft skills are similar to emotions or insights that allow people to ‘read’ others.

Most of the soft skills are learned through practice and experience. They are much harder to be measured and evaluated. What are the types of soft skills that graduates need to acquire and maintain?

Following is a list of some common soft skills that most of the young graduates need to acquire and practice:

Communication Skills

Flexibility

Dependability

Teamwork

Work Ethics

Positivity

Time Management

Problem Solving

Critical Thinking

Conflict Resolution

Project Planning

There are many more soft skills. The above is a representative list of soft skills that are more relevant to day-to-day work. It is important for the high school graduates to be aware of the importance of these skills and learn them and practise. The graduates will start realizing that their services are better valued by peers and seniors as they begin to complement their hard skills with more and more soft skills. The important point is that most of these skills which one learns and sharpens during their employment can be transferred to any future jobs.

The recruiters usually look for and value the transferable skills that a prospective employee could bring into a new job, from their prior experience.

Transferrable Skills

Transferable skills can be from both hard skills and soft skills. For example, a transferable hard skill could be a mastery of a particular software or a coding language that can be used in other business settings. However, soft skills are more easily transferable due to their generic nature and universal applicability. Some of the most common soft skills that are transferable, include: Leadership, Communication Skills, Teamwork, Time Management, Problem Solving, etc.

Balancing of Hard Skills and Soft Skills

While appreciating the importance of both hard skills and soft skills, graduates need to strike a balance between the two types. Further, they need to be aware that what weightage the recruiters or managers assign to these two types of skills.

The preference may be skewed towards hard skills at the beginning of one’s career and may gradually shift to soft skills as one moves higher in the corporate ladder. Various surveys conducted in the USA and elsewhere indicate that recruiters tend to give equal or more weightage to soft skills than to hard skills. Graduates need to be aware of this and give necessary priority to acquiring and maintaining soft skills in addition to the hard skills they learned during their higher studies. It is generally believed that hard skills help you get a job and soft skills help you to keep it.

Advice to graduating students

Graduating students need to be aware of the importance of hard skills and soft skills needed to be successful in getting a job and maintaining it. Both hard skills and soft skills need to be developed, kept up-to-date and sharpened all the time. The balance between the two types needs to be maintained depending on the job environment.

There’s not one specific thing or skill people have to have to work for us. But I can tell you why we fire people: soft skills. We hire for hard skills. We fire for soft skills. …”

A few words about the teachers:

We would like to thank the teachers who are constantly supporting the students to develop and prosper. The leadership provided by the Principal and her deputies are commendable. The great achievements that the school have achieved during the tenure of the current principal are highly commendable. We thank you, Madam and the whole academic staff for their dedicated and tireless efforts in bringing up the standards of student performances both in academic, sports and other extracurricular activities.

Following a few quotes which exemplify the noble jobs carried out by the teachers. Being a teacher in the modern educational world is an exceptionally challenging task. Beyond the daily teaching and grading routine, educators also work to manage student behaviors, family issues, teaching pressure, and many other difficult issues.

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ― Plutarch

Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” – Japanese proverb

“Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.” – Josef Albers.

Your classroom may have four walls, but your influence has no boundaries.”

“Teaching isn’t just a profession—it’s the art of lighting a path where others can learn to walk on their own.”

To parents:

Tonight, we celebrate the achievements of our students, and we recognize that their success is not solely their own. It is a direct result of your consistent encouragement, unwavering support, and the sacrifices you make to ensure your children have the best possible opportunities.

We understand the countless hours you spend assisting with homework, attending school events, and providing a nurturing home environment that fosters learning. Your involvement is invaluable, and we commend you for your dedication to your children's education.

To Prize Winners:

To the prize winners, congratulations! Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence have truly paid off. We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and the positive impact you have on our school community.

To all the students who participated in this year's activities, we commend your efforts. Your participation, regardless of whether you received an award, is a testament to your engagement and willingness to learn and grow.

In closing, let us all celebrate the success of our students and the dedication of our parents and teachers!

Thank you for listening.

Theruvan Saranai!