Students boost post-conflict reconciliation

Post-conflict reconciliation gets a boost as students who have excelled in dancing and cultural activities from Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa and other areas of the North and East join others from the Anuradhapura district to display their talents at the Deyata Kirula Development Exhibition which began in Anuradhapura, February 4.

The performances are organized by the Nena Guna Weduma: Sisu Diriya Programme initiated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and implemented by the Social Development Unit of the President's Office.

This programme is aimed at developing knowledge and virtues among the youth to equip them with a disciplined and pleasant character and develop them as good Sri Lankan citizens.

The dancing and cultural performances will be staged on all days of the exhibition which runs upto February 10, 2012. They will form part of the ‘Uthuru Wasanthaya and Rajarata Navodaya Special Dancing and Cultural Show.’

Nena Guna Weduma: Sisu Diriya is in its sixth year and has benefited more than 1.5 million students from over 700 schools in the country. More than 42,000 A/L and O/L students have followed the five-day Leadership Training Programme.

The most recent Leadership Training Programme was held successfully in Kilinochchi recently where over 500 students participated. One student who spoke at the end of the programme said that the programme had benefited her immensely and that she would be focusing on studying to become a doctor as a result. Many displayed their talents in singing, dancing and poetry. Director of the President's Social Development Unit, Nandana Wijesinghe spoke of the immense possibilities the country could derive from harnessing the youth as change agents in society.

“The youth are the wealth of this country; they are the future,” said Wijesinghe. “Through this programme we encourage them to re-focus their lives towards acquiring knowledge and virtues and strengthening their characters with discipline. We have competent resource persons who effectively guide them towards these goals.”

A special feature of the Nena Guna Weduma: Sisu Diriya Programme is the formation of Clubs among the students encouraging them to network better and take up roles of leadership. The have become ‘knowledge hubs’ in various schools. Some who underwent the initial training have already joined the programme as trainers or facilitators.

The Leadership Training Programmes are conducted in all three languages with simultaneous translations based on the needs of the audience. They emphasise values such as living harmoniously among all communities and religious groups, tolerance and sharing.

Students from rural schools are provided a unique opportunity to learn and share in new technologies including IT and to acquire new knowledge that they would otherwise not have to access easily. Among the various activities, students have been taken on conducted tours to places such as the Bandaranaike International Airport and Independence Hall.

“Through a competitive process the best student performers have been selected from over 100 schools for the Deyata Kirula Exhibition in Anuradhapura,” said Wijesinghe. “The exposure they get will further enhance their skills and self-confidence.

The large number of students of different ethnicities who will be mixing together will strengthen and open a new chapter in reconciliation.