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Friday, 22 August 2014 01:40 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Around 55 kilometres down the A32 road running from Mannar to Pooneryn, in the middle of what seems to be a forest, you have to turn off on to a gravel road leading towards the Western coast. When driving down this gravel road, the vehicles create such a dust storm that, if you get too close to the vehicles in front of you, you run the risk of driving under with no visibility.
You would not see too many people on the road expect for the occasional villagers on bikes who are forced to cover their face to save themselves from the dust that is swirled up by the vehicles. Another 10 kilometres or so on this gravel road, passing flat salt beds, dried out remnants of paddy fields and the occasional household, you come to the little known town of Veravil, in the Kilinochchi District, on the North Western coast of Sri Lanka.
Just before the township, you would come to pass a school land with a banyan tree that has grown to massive proportions. This tree and the one or two buildings around it were once the only signs that the Veravil Hindu Maha Vidyalayam existed there. The school only had one permanent structure that housed its office and small library.
There were several temporary sheds erected using tin sheets and coconut leaves as cover that helped house some of the classes conducted by 22 teachers for the 319 students in the school. But it was the banyan tree that was the centre piece of this school. Majority of the classes in the school were conducted under its shade. And when classes were not in session, it also served as the school’s meeting hall, the auditorium for the children’s performances and the place where the school held its parent’s meetings. As massive as the tree was, and for all the shade it provided to young and old alike, it was not able to stop the rain nor the dust clouds that were rushed up by the strong winds in the area.
If you go to Veravil Hindu Maha Vidyalayam now, you would see that the temporary sheds are no longer used and the small children no longer have their classes outside in the dust and sweltering heat. Two single story buildings now line up behind the great banyan tree, housing nine classrooms, a computer room and a science laboratory. Especial care was taken by UNOPS not to disturb the banyan tree and the trees in the school premises during the construction. The facilities provided to the schools have opened up many possibilities to the children that were previously not available to them.
KOICA and UNOPS teaming up to support 12 schools in the district
The new buildings for Veravil Hindu Maha Vidyalayam were constructed under a project implemented by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), with funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka. The project saw the completion of new classroom buildings and sanitary facilities in 12 schools in the Kilinochchi District.
UNOPS and KOICA also delivered three cluster staff quarters for three divisions in the District as well. The new buildings built in 12 schools provided 98 class rooms and 16 activity rooms (for computer and science laboratories) to be used by more than 6,600 children.
The project was built on the success that UNOPS and KOICA had in a similar project in Ampara district where class rooms and other facilities were developed in 10 schools. The Kilinochchi schools project was in line with the Government’s Thousand Secondary Schools goal as well as the Korean Government’s continued focus on supporting the education sector in Sri Lanka.
The official handover of the buildings took place on 28 July at a ceremony attended by the South Korean Ambassador, , Minister of Education, Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, Governor of the Northern Province, Resident Representative of KOICA, Head of Supports Services UNOPS South Asia Operational Hub, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and other dignitaries.
Incorporating best design considerations and school requirements
The basic design of the schools were based on the standard designs prescribed by the government, while UNOPS in its design review added modifications such disability access ramps and additional stairways for fire safety. The designs of the buildings were also changed to best suit the surrounding environmental conditions, in order for them to last longer. Buildings in three schools on the coastal area and the cluster staff quarters in the Veravil used reinforced concrete as the support beams instead of the steel truss’ that were used in standard design. This was in order to reduce the effect rust that would take place as a result of the proximity to the sea.
Most of the schools did not have proper hand wash or toilet facilities for the use of the children. This was especially a problem for mixed schools (very common in the area) when they did not have sufficient toilet facilities for the use of the female students. The project also saw the construction of hand wash units as well as toilet facilities for the schools in order to help improve the hygiene and health aspects of the children. Most toilet facilities provided to the schools were targeting the female students, in order ensure they had easy access and the privacy they needed. Some schools were often faced with issues of inadequate furniture to carry out their classes and cater to the growing student numbers. Using the savings made by UNOPS during the construction process, the schools will also be supplied with classroom furniture required solve their furniture shortages.
A considerable number of teachers attached to the schools in Kilinochchi come from Jaffna. This means that they often have to travel up to 40 to 50 kilometres to get to their schools on a regular basis. This has been a major issue in sourcing sufficient trained staff for schools like Veravil Maha Vidyalayam that are located in low populated areas. Identifying this challenge, KOICA together with the Education Ministry and UNOPS, provided staff cluster quarters in three divisions of the district.
These buildings that have been equipped with furniture including beds, tables and sanitary facilities by KOICA and UNOPS will provide lodging for 72 teachers and three families. These facilities have been greeted with much enthusiasm by the teachers, who are now able to stay in the quarters during the weekdays and travel back home over the weekends.
Building our future
The happiness among the children, teachers and parent showed how much the new buildings meant to them. The facilities provided to the schools have allowed some of them to be elevated in their grading by the Ministry of Education. But more than anything, the contribution of the new facilities towards improving the education levels of communities affected by war for over three decades, bodes positives signs for developing the country.
