Computer literacy and English proficiency for youth of Audangawa

As the inauguration ceremony of the Computer and Language Centre proceeds at the temple of Audangawa, all those who are gathered could only have one feeling at heart; hope. 

Passionate about enhancing the living standards of the underprivileged youth, the fourth and the newest Computer and Language Training Centre of R.e.V (Reconstruire et Vivre) was inaugurated on 19 January at Audangawa by French Ambassador for Sri Lanka Eric Lavertu, and Michelle Salaün, the Chairman of Salaün Holidays, a leading tour operator in France and the main sponsor of the project together with the management of Connaissance de Ceylan and Theme Resorts & Spas. 

The inaugural ceremony is held in the presence of 20 journalists representing several prominent media enterprises of France and Belgium who are currently in Sri Lanka on a familiarisation tour of the country.  

Constructed on a land donated by the Buddhist temple of the village ‘Sri Dharmawardhanarama Purana Viharaya’, the Computer and Language Centre will offer free-of-charge English language classes and computer classes to the youth of Audangawa, with the blessings of the chief monk of the temple, Ven. Eswatte Uditha Thero. The total investment being Rs. 5 million, the investment made by Michel Salaün on the project is 10,000 Euros (approx. Rs. 1.8 million) while the management of Connaissance de Ceylan and Theme Resorts & Spas invested Rs. 3.2 million.

Giving much thought to all aspects of the project, the classes will be scheduled from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day with the exception of weekend classes to prevent it from becoming any hindrance to school education of the children. The management of Connaissance de Ceylan and Theme Resorts & Spas being zealous advocates of local hiring, teachers to conduct computer and English classes are to be recruited from the respective region itself, making yet another effort to sustain the local community.

Why Audangawa?

Welcoming tourists from all over the world at this tiny village of Audangawa, which anyone had barely heard of, Aliya Resort & Spa was the first ever tourist resort to be established in the region. Managed by Theme Resorts and Spas, the resort opened its doors for guests in the year 2014. It only took a few years down the line for this beautiful countryside village to become an important cultural visit in tourist agendas, with many tourist resorts developed within a radius two and a half kilometres from the village. 

Prioritising local employment, more than 70% of Aliya Resort & Spa’s staff is hired from the same region and a majority of the resort’s day to day supply requirements are sourced locally, where preference is given to suppliers from the local area whenever possible. The resort also engages in a number of projects directly aimed at the upliftment of the local community’s livelihood and living standards through its environment and sustainability society. 

Today, the hospitality industry is well-established in the region, with a huge number of employment opportunities created, and approximately 800 locals employed in the hotel and hospitality sector as well as many other tourism-related industries. 

Why computer and English language?

However, it is no secret that employments in the domain of hospitality demands that the candidates possess good command of English language and computer literacy. For Chandra Wickramasinghe, it was evident that the candidates of the local area hardly meet these very requirements that are vital to successfully engage in their job roles.

After a little research, it was learnt that the schools of the region lacked adequate resources to provide quality computer knowledge for the students, such as ‘Dambulla Maha Vidyalaya’ where 2,500 students are educated with 15 computers and ‘Digampathana Vidyalaya’ where 450 students receive their education with only one computer at hand. The intention of a private institution to provide quality computer education and English language training, under appropriate guidance and good pedagogy was hence conceived.