Primary school English activity centre in Eheliyagoda

Country Director of UNICEF in Sri Lanka, Reza Husseini opened an English Activity Centre at Karandana Junior School.

Country Director of UNICEF in Sri Lanka, Reza Husseini opened an English Activity Centre at Karandana Junior School in the Eheliyagoda Educational Division on World Children’s Day.

The centre, which also includes two classrooms for Grade V students, was built with decentralised funds allocated by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha.

After the welcome by the Principal, speakers at the event, in addition to Husseini, included the Zonal English Director Sarath Kumara and Ven Karandana Dhamissara of the Karandana Temple where pre-school classes are conducted.

Former Secretary General of Parliament Sam Wijesinha also spoke. The programme was introduced in all three languages, and the school presented Sinhala and Tamil folk dance items.

Students from Sri Jinaratna Maha Vidyalaya, the Karandana Secondary School, welcomed Husseini with a traditional dance. Accompanying them was English volunteer teacher, Melissa Hughes, whose work follows that of an earlier volunteer at the Junior School. Other volunteers have also served in schools in Eheliyagoda and Kiriella and Ruwanwella under the same programme, which has contributed to greater confidence among schoolchildren in the use of English.

Simultaneously, the English Teaching Department of Sabaragamuwa University conducted training programmes for teachers in Ratnapura and Kegalle, and will be commencing classes, including in IT, in the Ridigama Division of Kurunegala later this year.

Students presented Sinhala and Tamil folk dance items.