US Ambassador inaugurates school construction projects

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz today inaugurated two renovated schools in the Eastern Province that will be able to serve approximately 1300 students thanks to the renovation, an increase of more than 850. 

The US-funded renovations of the An-Noor and Kariapper schools, coordinated by the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), cost more than Rs. 170 million ($ 940,000). Also participating were Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Member of Parliament A. L. M. Nazeer, and M.S. Uthumalebbe, a Chairman for the Preschool Management Committee at the Provincial Ministry of Education in Trincomalee.

“These school renovation projects directly benefit rural and under-served communities, engage the local school administrations as leading partners, and provide local jobs.” said Ambassador Teplitz. “They are concrete evidence of the value the American people place on ensuring young Sri Lankans have a safe and welcoming learning environment.”

The Kariapper school’s renovation included a new 12-classroom, handicap-accessible school building. In addition to 10 renovated classrooms, the An-Noor school received new desks and chairs. The renovation project also encompassed additional doors, security grills to windows, repairs to electrical fixtures, the installation of a lightning rod, and refinished walls and floors. Each school received new rainwater harvesting systems, handicap-accessible bathrooms, and kitchens capable of serving displaced persons during times of humanitarian emergency. These renovation projects join two others completed by INDOPACOM, with up to three more renovations planned in 2019.