A Noble Gift for St.Peter’s College – The Andradi Library at St. Peter’s
Courtesy of Sunday Times of February 5, 2012
As the CEO of one of the largest educational groups, Mr. Andradi’s vision is to ensure that high quality education is accessible to a global community of students. The construction of the Andradi Library at St. Peter’s, his alma mater, is very much in keeping with this vision. In the opening ceremony, Mr. Andradi commented “Education is a gift that should be shared with the wider community”. He was particularly pleased that the Andradi Library at St. Peter’s would have certain dedicated hours, when it could be accessed by staff and students of other schools.
On the first of February 2012, the students and community of St.Peter’s College – Colombo-04 received a gift beyond measure. The school received a four-storied library complex which was constructed by the London School of Commerce (LSC), United Kingdom.
The LSC has its headquarters based in London and has several campuses located in Belgrade, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and of course in Colombo. The Sri-Lankan campus is named the British School of Commerce and is located in Colombo -04. The British School of Commerce specialises in offering students courses in a range of subjects such as finance, management, information technology and business leading to internationally recognised MBA, bachelor’s and master’s degrees and other professional qualifications.
The library was opened under the patronage of Mr.Timothy Ashantha Andradi, Group CEO of the London School of Commerce Group of Colleges (LSC). Mr.Andradi, an alumnus of St.Peter’s College, was the main donor for the construction of this complex. The library complex is host to a range of facilities such as lecture halls, and an IT centre in addition to the library facilities.
The St.Peter’s College community felicitated Mr. Andradi for being an outstanding old boy of the school. Mr.Andradi was the chief donor towards this project with a donation sum of 45 million rupees for this project, which is the highest contribution by an old boy towards the school, thus far. Along with this several individuals who had made a significant contribution to the school were also appreciated with the presentation of memorial plaques.
The Chief Guest, His Excellency Most Reverend Dr.Joseph Spitteri, Apostolic Annuncio highlighted the importance of books in establishment of knowledge and relationships. “every book opens a new horizon for us, every page connect us with the past and helps us, in the present, to build a better future” “solidarity is what we need in the world, that we would all learn to share the gifts we receive, we too should imitate and be ready to share the gifts received”
Mr.Timothy Andradi had these words to speak at this special occasion, “The teachers should realise that when you educate little boys and transform them in to well rounded young men, you are spreading little ripples across the globe that changes countless lives for the better. These ripples would gather further momentum with the education of the young Peterites here today”. In keeping with the spirit of sharing, Mr.Andradi went on to say, “the construction of the library is a potent symbol of the powerful gift of education. I have no doubt that this gift should not be constrained just in the boundaries of this school but to be shared with deserving students of other schools too.” Thus it was declared that the school library will serve other students too during specified hours of the day. The school library is named after Mr.Andradi in honour of his contribution to the school community.
Rev.Fr. Travis Gabriel rector of St.Peter’s College had these words to say in addressing the gathering “This is the best gift the school has received in the last 90 years. Knowledge in any sphere can be gained by reading, it is important that students understand the value of the new library so that they may begin the habit of reading. This is important for your life; someday you need to leave the college as a fully integrated student, and you can become an integrated student by reading. Because today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders”.
The opening ceremony saw the appreciation of all involved in the construction of this blessing towards the community. In keeping with the religious traditions a special prayer service was conducted to shower blessings on the resource center. It was evident that the entire school community had rallied around, as one family, to make this project a resounding success with the cooperation of past pupils and parents of students at St.Peter’s College.
Congratulations to St.Peter’s College on the latest addition to the school campus, may the new resource center inspire students to become wholesome individuals who are appreciative of their alma mater and conscious of their duty to share their gifts to uplift the lives of those around them.
