Mrs J – the students are in the library

MRS Jayasinghe ran down the wooden stairs making a louder noise than normal. They had begun this new exercise to conduct classes for CMA candidates. The lecturer was at Mrs Jayasinghe’s table having discovered the classroom empty. Nalis Rajendra, Council Member supervising education, shouted from downstairs that the students were crowding the lending desk and wanted her to shoo them away. Ovitige the library assistant ran up with the message.

- By Upali Ratnayake

Mrs J

Mrs Jayasinghe was Manager Education Affairs. That title if anything was, very misleading. What had it really to do with what she was doing? But | find | am not telling the story as it should be told. So | shall follow the advice of the King of Hearts to the White Rabbit in Court in Alice in Wonderland. “Begin at the beginning”, the King said gravely, “and go on to the end, then stop.”

Mrs Jayasinghe joined ICMA (Institute of Cost and Management Accountants) midyear 1985, when Lakshman Williams migrated to Canada. At this time all affairs of ICMA were supervised by a Council. Tissa Manakkara was President and Muzzamil was the Secretary. They advertised, interviewed and selected.

Of course the Council told the staff that a new manager was coming. A new manager did come that week. She came in a Mitsubishi Lancer. The staff met her and led her to her table. She was pleasant and well groomed. She was the only staff member who drove a car. Mrs Wijesuriya the Librarian was dropped off.

In the 1980s ICMA was a small Management Accounting body belonging to the parent body in London founded by a few members in 1965, interested in furthering the value of the qualification here. Membership was small even though student numbers were a little higher. ICMA had been moving from address to address until they arrived at Skelton Road off Dickman Road. This was a large bungalow, the colonial type, with several rooms and toilets. The downstairs occupied the library, Council room and two classrooms. Mrs Jayasinghe sat upstairs surrounded by the accountant and secretaries.

The staff called her Mrs. Jayasinghe while to members she was Mrs J. Only the Librarian Kumudini Wijeysuriya called her Nilanthi. But then, she had that special privilege, being her close friend. They confided in each other and many office problems found solutions at their desks.