A Beacon of Hope in the Jungle
Sometimes, all it takes to lift your spirits is a school with a working signal.
Today marks the start of the fourth phase of our online English program. This means we’re welcoming a new group of third-grade students into our program. For the next year and a half, they’ll be with us, attending classes twice a week until they sit for their scholarship exams.
Last year, we got a request from a school that wasn’t part of our feeding program. They had no English teacher and no signal to teach English.
After a lot of hard work, we managed to find a signal. We did it with a massive, 53-foot tall antenna. Thanks to that, we were able to include their primary classes in our remote English teaching program.
What about the students in grades 6-11?
For the twenty students taking their exams this year, we have two different programs running to help them get at least an “S” pass in English. A second-year university student who is waiting to go to campus next year has volunteered to stay at the school for six months to teach them English. In addition, a group of volunteer teachers from our Pikupahi SFP Volunteer Teachers Pool is joining them to remotely discuss English past papers.
Today, some of the kids from the primary classes connected to our remote English program. Here are a few photos from the session.
This picture is a testament to the dedication of many people who worked hard to make it happen. We see this picture today because of their sacrifices.
This is a small tribute to them:
* Asanga Aiya, who, inspired by his own kids’ desire to help a school with their pocket money, donated a computer.
* Erandi Nangy, who provided the routers and antennas needed to get a signal at the school.
* Good Neighbors, for donating the lecture hall chairs for the children’s computer room.
* Gayani Gamage, for offering to cover the monthly internet bill for the school.
* The school principal and staff, who worked tirelessly to create this opportunity for the children.
* Most importantly, our Pikupahi SFP Online English Program and our newest teacher, Lakmali Nangy, who joined us today.
With a long pole, we can catch signals drifting through the wind in the Ritigala jungle.
Not every student in Sri Lanka gets to fully enjoy the right to a free education. But we can at least give them a little taste of it.
And that’s enough, isn’t it?
So here we are, enjoying a beautiful September, filled with happiness!
#equitable_education_for_all
By Dr. Kiloshini Hendawitharana for “Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak”
