Whether singing a punk rock song or a musical classic like Edelweiss, the student from the schools in Gampaha are confident in their English language skills. Participating in a concert held in Gampaha the children showed members of the British Council and other guests to what degree they’ve improved in speaking English.
However, the concert was more of a review meeting that reflected the progress of the teachers who have received training by the British Council. The teachers have been selected for the University of Cambridge Teaching Knowledge Test project, a training programme designed to improve teachers’ capability in teaching English.
The programme in Sri Lanka is conducted by the British Council and apart from helping the children improve in spoken English, the teachers are trained to help them improve in writing and understanding the language that dominates the commercial world.
As Country Director of the British Council in Sri Lanka, Tony Reilly says, “English is everyone’s language. It is the language of business, the language of the internet and the language people across the world protest in” emphasising the importance of being able to communicate in English.
According to Lesly Dick who heads the project, the course is designed to train teachers in methodology in teaching English, specifics in grammar, reading, writing, speaking, and provides trained teachers with the resources to implement what they have been trained to do. The course is extensive and within six months, the teachers follow a rigorous schedule of assignments and classes. Teachers who successfully complete the course and are awarded the certificate of Teaching Knowledge Test Project from the University of Cambridge, have regular reviews of their work and follow ups conducted by the British Council.
The course is available worldwide and the standard of teacher training is maintained across the world. A teacher qualified in Sri Lanka will be equally qualified as a teacher trained under the same project in India. The project has been active in Sri Lanka since 2006 and has progressed immensely over the years, being conducted in 27 districts ranging from Jaffna, Chilaw, Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Mahiyangana, Polonnaruwa, Matara and Gampaha. The British Council has estimated that an astounding 28, 500 students will benefit from the project this year.
Five hundred and eighty teachers from across the island have benefited from the project since its inception. Aruni Dissanayake, is a English teacher from Chandrajothi Maha Vidalaya, Yakkala, who has completed the project and received certification from the University of Cambridge. She says her students have improved discernibly after having tried the new teaching methods. “It has helped a lot in their speech. They are no longer shy to speak in English.”
Sustaining the project and helping improve standards of literacy in English in Sri Lanka, are main sponsors HSBC and co-sponsors Mas Active (Pvt) Ltd and MAS Intimates (Pvt) Ltd, as well as several other secondary sponsors. |
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