Beyond the Clouds: A Glimpse into a Rural English Classroom

In many rural schools across Sri Lanka, English literacy and computer skills remain painfully low. Yet, those who understand the world ahead know — without English and basic digital literacy, children will be left far behind.

Still, countless schools struggle to appoint even one permanent English teacher. Why? Perhaps because the number of trained teachers is simply not enough to cover every remote corner of our island. Or maybe because those who are appointed hesitate to take up positions in difficult, underserved areas. Some find ways to remain in urban schools under temporary attachments.

But the truth is — children want to learn.

They want to speak a new language.

They want to learn English.

Even if they don’t fully grasp its long-term value, the desire to learn is real. If we can nurture this curiosity now, they might one day climb out of the very pits where a language barrier could’ve kept them trapped. A child afraid of a language may grow up afraid of the world.

That’s why, under the “Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak” initiative, we brought together children from schools without English teachers and started teaching them — even if all we had was Zoom and a shaky internet connection.

For two whole years, despite endless tech issues, we taught them.

Power cuts.

No signal — or just one flickering bar.

“I can’t hear you, teacher.”

“No video.”

“Wire’s chewed by monkeys.”

“Restarted but still not working.”

We’ve heard it all.

Through it all, five teams of dedicated teachers — joined virtually — kept going.

Still, we knew: teaching face-to-face means more.

So we ran a pilot — a temporary, 3-month physical English classroom — just to see if we could build something beautiful, even briefly.

Our goal was never to make them fluent.

It was to make them love learning English.

And slowly, week by week, we saw that spark grow.

We’re now in Week 3.

One girl, in a lesson on senses, shyly asked:

“Miss, what’s the English word for වළාකුළු (cloud)?”

I said, “Cloud, spelt C-L-O-U-D.”

She took the marker, stood tall, and wrote it on the board herself.

At first, she misspelt “watch” as “wash” — but corrected it immediately. That tiny moment of effort and confidence? That’s everything.

Because even though these children are surrounded by jungle, and locked away in little villages — they still look up at the sky and wonder what’s beyond the clouds.

That curiosity? That hope? That’s our mission.

So many children like her are still hidden in rural schools, still waiting to learn. Until the Ministry decides to send every school a permanent English teacher, there’s room — more than enough room — for anyone who wants to help, in any way they can.

Special Thanks:

The Principal — for creating a warm and welcoming space for our teachers and students.

Dhammika Aunty — who flew from Australia for three months, dedicating herself fully to teaching English in these challenging settings.

Our Little Star — with her bright eyes and wide smile, reminds us that rural children can and will learn.

Sujith Ayya — for sending a wonderful collection of English storybooks to this school.

The students of the Faculty of Management, Rajarata University — for building a cozy English library right here.

24.06.2025

P.S. We didn’t blur the child’s face. Her joy felt too pure to hide. But if you feel otherwise, let us know — we’ll change it.