Posted on behalf of Steve & Gav
It’s been four years since we were last in Sri
Lanka. It seemed like a long time ago as
we reminisced on the flight about what to expect.
Immediately on arrival, that intense heat which hits
you as you step from the aircraft was familiar.
But things seemed much more efficient than we remembered and we were at
the hotel within 90 minutes of touching down.
Admittedly, it was a Sunday, but Sri Lanka seemed far more geared up for
the huge increase in tourists who now visit.
On our first full day, we visited three projects. First up was the Village Nursery where we
have spent many hours making strange noises and faces much to the delight of
the children. This experience was very
much the same, and reassuringly, the same teachers showed the same amount of
dedication to the adorable 3-4 year olds.
Next up was our visit to the village school. This was our first visit since the school
became a primary school catering for grades 1 to 5.
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| At the school |
The first thing to strike us was the almost
eerie silence. How different it was to
when around 140 children were running around and playing games and, sounded
like a school. We went in and visited
each of the classrooms. Now, all the children were being taught with little to
distract them. In one Grade, the ratio
of teacher to pupils was 1:5. This
seemed far more conducive to education and the teachers themselves seemed more
comfortable in the quieter environment.
From our first visit in 2008, and the 10 visits since, the school had
been our primary focus and we had literally shed blood sweat and tears over the
years. Yes, the hustle and bustle had
gone which made me a bit sad but I reflected later that the kids were now
receiving a much better education as a result of the change.
Next it was time to visit the School on the
Beach. This was the first time we would
see it since it was established in 2015 and we were both really excited. There were two rooms, both probably smaller
than our hotel bedroom. But there was a
sense of order and discipline as the old school desks were lined up neatly in
rows. And then it happened… from 2pm children wielding exercise books started
to arrive. They had already finished
school for the day and we counted 20 children.
The first subject was Health and Science and one of our paid teachers
gave a lesson complete with PowerPoint presentation which was projected on to
the wall. The kids were attentive and
active, and despite all the things they could be doing, had decided to turn up
to learn, which they do every day. Surreal and amazing, in equal measure.
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| Teaching at he School on the Beach |
So our first impressions? Some things are the same such as the amazing
landscapes, stunning sunsets and amazingly warm people. Other things have
changed but definitely for the better: smaller class sizes is a good thing for
more focused teaching and the establishment of our own school on the beach is
meeting a demand we never thought would be there and has undoubtedly helped
improve the village kids’ education.
If you are lucky enough to
come and visit please take time to speak to the children in both schools as
conversational English skills will be so important in their future lives.
On Tuesday whilst Della, Don and their guests Sarah and Nick visited the Jungle nursery, we went along to the beach school
and taught for an hour using improvised scenarios. And despite it being a national holiday, we
were pleasantly surprised to see the classroom full again.
