Maalu Maalu empowers youth in Pasikudah

Saturday, 4 May 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa has taken steps to provide aspiring students in the Pasikudah area with the materials and other resources needed in order to further their education in the English language. The popular resort situated in the east coast has collaborated with Reconstruire et Vivre (Rebuild & Live - R.e.V), a non-profit organisation, on this project.

The inauguration of the English Language Learning Empowerment Program was held on 18 April amidst a small gathering of people associated with the venture as well as some well-wishers. The event was hosted by Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa Chairman Chandra Wickramasinghe and Reconstruire et Vivre President Patricia Villette-Wickramasinghe.

Speaking at the event, Chandra Wickramasinghe disclosed that Maalu Maalu Resort & Spa was committed to empowering children of the area with an international language skill. “We are happy to announce that the resort will contribute $ 1 from each room occupied towards the maintenance and development of the centre on an ongoing basis,” Wickramasinghe said. Formulated with the aim to improve the knowledge of English among school children and youth in the region, the program is aimed at pre-school children, students from Grades 4 to 10, as well as Ordinary Level students. Resource people include K. Balachandran, a present Officer attached to the Education Office in Valaichchenai, will coordinate these students through a series of lessons designed from the series of books provided to the children free of charge.

Students interested in being a part of the program will first have to sit for a placement exam in order to identify their grasp of the language after which they will be categorised into different levels. Currently, nearly 120 students have registered for the program, and classes conducted free of charge at the Reconstruire et Vivre Computer and Language Learning Centre, have already commenced.

This program is the latest in a series of community service initiatives that Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa have undertaken in Pasikudah and surrounding areas since the Resort was established in Pasikudah in 2011. Other projects include the construction of the Computer and Language Learning Centre which has an average of 98 students graduating annually.