Premier International Schools of Sri Lanka come together to form TISSL

Since 1987, the Heads of the pioneer International Schools in Sri Lanka have functioned as an association which was informally called ‘Association of Heads of International Schools in Sri Lanka’. This Association which has now grown to incorporate 23 Member Schools, has decided to formally identify themselves as ‘The International Schools of Sri Lanka (TISSL)’.

Dr. Frank Jayasinghe, the Founder President says that in 1987, the Association started with a small group of International School Principals collaborating for the betterment of their students and parents. Several distinguished Educationists of the calibre of Mr. R. I. T. Alles, Brigadier Dennis Hapugalle, Mrs. Goolbai Gunasekara, Mrs. Noreen Welikala, Mr. Mohan Lal Grero and Mrs. L. I. De Silva have served well for the Association and there are many more who are still amongst the membership. Dr. Jayasinghe is pleased to see the formation of TISSL, which will not only enhance and promote the goodwill and relationships between member schools but contribute towards the development of international education in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Harsha Alles, Chairman of TISSL, says that the Association aims to provide students with an internationally recognised education whilst promoting and upholding the values and culture of Sri Lanka through the close co-operation and involvement of Member Schools. Providing international education to a student population of over 40,000 with over 90% of them being Sri Lankan, member schools of TISSL make an enormous contribution to the country with absolutely no burden to the State, he said. With outstanding OL/IGCSE, AL and IB results and almost all their alumni pursuing higher education with many entering highly rated Universities around the world, the member schools have lived up to the expectations of the parents. He also said that scores of students of TISSL schools have been extremely successful in sports and co-curricular activities, at both national and international levels.

Another important objective of TISSL is to assist the Government in promoting and delivering quality English Medium education in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the member schools of TISSL embody the diversity of cultures that are represented in our country resulting in a richness of education which the recently launched Tri-Lingual Sri Lanka strives to attain. They nurture close communication and strong ties among those who speak different languages, profess different faiths and come from different cultural backgrounds; and integrate all towards bringing about harmony and understanding.

The Secretary of TISSL, Mrs. Kumari Hapugalle Perera noted that its Member Schools are those that are the well-established and premier International Schools in the country, as opposed to a host of others that have mushroomed in Sri Lanka claiming “International School” status. She further says, TISSL comprises institutions that have a clearly stated philosophy and programme for academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Mrs. Priyanthi Seneviratne, Secretary – Public Relations and Communications of TISSL, stated that with the launch of TISSL, the Association adopts a formal constitution, unveils its new logo and a dynamic website. The 23 member schools will also be awarded Membership Plaques to be displayed at each Member School which will assist in creating awareness. Mrs. Seneviratne went on to say that another important outcome of TISSL is that for the first time, the students of the Member Schools will be issued a common identity card certified by TISSL which would be a valid identification for any event organized by the TISSL Member Schools.

All Member Schools of TISSL contribute to the development of international education in Sri Lanka by providing a holistic education, promoting and upholding the values and culture of the country. The ultimate goal of TISSL, the Association of Premier International Schools in Sri Lanka, is to maintain these good practices and safeguard their ethos, so that Sri Lankan society will have competency to contribute towards globalisation.