SriLankan Cares completed the first phase of a major project to enhance the standard of education in the Southern Province, with the completion of a brand new building at Debarawewa Primary Navodaya Vidyalaya, a school of over 3,000 students.

The building, constructed by SriLankan Cares in just five months at a cost of Rs. 12.4 million, was officially handed over by the Chief Executive Officer/ Manoj Gunawardena, of SriLankan Airlines, to the Principal of the school on 6th January 2009, in the presence of Dr Ulf Metzger, ESC Project Director of GTZ, staff of SriLankan Airlines and GTZ, teachers, students, and parents of the school.

SriLankan Cares is the social responsibility arm of SriLankan Airlines, and is dedicated to the upliftment of children’s education throughout Sri Lanka.

SriLankan worked in partnership with the German Technical Corporation, who provided sports equipment, computers and furniture for the computer lab, musical instruments, and a group hearing aid system to the school.

The project is expected to be of great benefit to the entire Hambantota District. Debarawewa is located a short distance from Tissamaharama.

With this building - an 8-classroom block of 4,500 square feet, together with furniture – the school now possess the facilities to educate its children through Year 9. The school, which has 3,076 children and a staff of 93 teachers, has so far provided education only up to Year 8. Although its students have an enviable academic record due to the lack of infrastructure, students are obliged to enter other schools for their Ordinary Level education.

Also present at the occasion were, Trustees of SriLankan Cares Trust, and the Zonal Director of Education.

This is the second school to be adopted by SriLankan Cares Trust and the third major school project undertaken by SriLankan Cares to nurture children through education. SriLankan Cares in 2003 began a highly successful long-term programme which uplifted Meepagama Jayanthi Maha Vidyalaya, a school of 1,000 children in the flood-ravaged Kalawana area of the Ratnapura District. Following the Tsunami of 2004, SriLankan Cares and its partners Lufthansa Technik, HelpAlliance, and GTZ, reconstructed Al Bahriyah Maha Vidyalaya in Kalmunai in the Batticaloa District, a school of 1,500 children.

Many of Debarawewa Primary Navodaya Vidyalaya’s past students now study at some of the country’s best schools like Royal College and Vishaka Vidyalaya and in institutes of higher education such as the University of Moratuwa, and the Sri Lanka Law College. About 30 of its past students qualify for university admission each year.

The planned Phase II will involve a second eight-classroom building to house Year 10, also of 4,500 square feet. There are also plans for a third building of similar size with eight classrooms together with furniture for Year 11, and a separate building to house a fully equipped library. This will then enable the children of Deberawewa primary to continue their studies in their alma mater without disruption and/or the hassle of finding other schools to continue their higher education.

January 08th 2009