The Trinity College Kandy Class of 1993 Scholarship Foundation (TCK93SF) was established on July 1, 2019 to formalize the provision of merit-based philanthropic assistance for the current students of Trinity College, Kandy (TCK). The foundation currently provides full funding for the H. I. Ratnayake Memorial Scholarship (HIRMS), which was originated in 1999.
Since 2000, the Trinity College Class of 1993 (TCK93) and the TCK93SF (which includes all TCK93 members) have disbursed a total of Rs 1.5 million on behalf of TCK students to fully fund the HIRMS. This is equivalent to Rs 1.7 million (US $9000) in 2019 currency.
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Membership
Information about TCK93SF membership is available here.
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History
The Trinity College, Kandy Class of 1993 (TCK93) has held an annual class reunion (get together) in Sri Lanka every year since 1993. During the annual reunion, TCK93 Class Officers are elected or selected informally by the attendees with the main responsibility of organizing the next reunion.
1999-2005
During the annual TCK93 reunion held in December 1999 at the Old Trinitians’ Sports Club (OTSC) in Kandy, the attendees agreed to establish a sports scholarship to memorialize influential classmate Hiran Indika “H.I.” Ratnayake ’93, who had died tragically the previous year in Philadelphia, USA. Initial funds for the scholarship were donated during the reunion by the reunion attendees.
Since the initial funds collected in 1999 were insufficient to establish an annual scholarship, the scholarship was initially established as an annual prize after assuring the TCK Principal, Dr Warren Ranjithan Breckenridge ’57, that sufficient funds would eventually be raised to convert the prize into a scholarship. Hence, the scholarship was initially awarded at the 1999 TCK Upper School Prize Giving (held in 2000) as the H.I. Ratnayake Memorial Prize, All-Round Sportsman, Junior and was awarded as such during the following year as well.
2006-2014
By 2006, interest in the scholarship was revived by TCK93 members–especially in the UAE and Kandy–and sufficient funds were raised to convert the annual prize into an annual scholarship with the scholarship awarded for the first time as the H.I. Ratnayake Memorial Scholarship, Junior at the 2005 Middle School Prize Giving held in 2006. For each recipient–who was required to meet specified academic and sports qualifications–the HIRMS was intended to cover tuition fees to attend TCK for up to 3 years, subject to ratification by TCK93. A list of past winners can be found here.
Since administering the scholarship required significantly more work than administering the prize, in 2006, the dedicated TCK93 role of HIRMS Coordinator was established to liaise with the TCK administration. In practice, the Coordinator consulted as needed with the ad hoc “H.I. Ratnayake Scholarship Committee” consisting of 10-15 informally selected (rotating) TCK93 administrators and past donors who provided guidance. A list of past administrators can be found here.
In 2006, the TCK93 Class Officers opened a TCK93 bank account which would function as the de facto “H. I. Ratnayake Memorial Fund” (HIRMF) for the next 13 years.
Between 2006 and 2017, funding for the scholarship was solicited informally and donated sporadically by a selection of TCK93 members in Sri Lanka, UAE, USA, Australia, and UK, which enabled TCK93 to continue sponsoring the HIRMS. A list of past donors can be found here.
2015-2018
By 2015, the HIRMS had evolved into an annual 3-year scholarship presented to the recipient of the Games All-Round Excellence award at the Middle School Prize Giving, subject to ratification by TCK93.
Although the TCK93 members who diligently sustained the HIRMS for over a decade deserve much credit for their dedication, in order to sustain the scholarship in the long-term, the need for a more formal administrative structure became evident. Therefore, a project plan was established in October 2018 to formalize and streamline the HIRMS/HIRMF administration to accomplish the following objectives:
- Establish an effective and efficient formal administrative structure for the HIRMF and HIRMS
- Ensure that HIRMS payments that are due from the HIRMF to TCK are always paid in full on-time
- Ensure the long-term financial integrity and sustainability of the HIRMF and HIRMS (at a minimum, in its current form as an annual, merit-based 3-year scholarship)
- Ensure that pertinent HIRMF and HIRMS information is communicated to key stakeholders in an effective and efficient manner
- Ensure that past contributors (administrators and donors) to the HIRMF and HIRMS receive appropriate recognition for their efforts and/or generosity while respecting the privacy of contributors who prefer to remain anonymous or unrecognized
- Ensure that TCK93 continues to be the face (collective owner) of the HIRMF/HIRMS, that all TCK93 members are aware of the HIRMF/HIRMS, and that all TCK93 members are welcome to participate voluntarily (as a donor and/or administrator) ensuring that no one is ever pressurized into contributing
- Ensure that HIRMF and HIRMS activities are conducted with integrity and dignity in accordance with the wishes of H.I. Ratnayake’s family.
2019
On July 1, 2019, the TCK93SF Constitution was confirmed as ratified by a membership vote of 35 to 0 (100%), which formally established the TCK93SF as the organization responsible for sustaining the HIRMS. The inaugural Trustees were elected by the membership on August 1, 2019 and the inaugural non-trustee (executive) officers were elected by the Trustees on September 5, 2019. These officers are listed on the Contact page.
The TCK93SF website was launched on November 9, 2019, providing up-to-date information about the organization and its mission to a wide audience.
In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the HIRMS, monetary donations (gifts) are welcome anytime and may be submitted according to the instructions on the Donate page.
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Past Administrators
A list of past administrators is available here.
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Administrative Documents
The main administrative documents used to govern and manage the TCK93SF are available for download here.
