Vahaneri villagers, children lack basic facilities

[TamilNet, Thursday, 16 January 2003, 03:51 GMT]
In a ceremony held Tuesday, Shoah Foundation donated chairs and desks for one hundred students of Vahaneri Kokulum Vidyalam in Kalkudah education district, Batticaloa, who for the past several years had to learn their lessons in school seated on the ground, education officials in Batticaloa said. The gift also included a teacher's chair and a desk, and other school supplies.

The event was presided by the school principal S.Balachandran.

S. Jeyaruban, Shoah Foundation

S. Jeyaruban, the Planning officer attached to the Shoah Foundation, speaking at the ceremony said, "Although our Foundation wanted to get involved in several development projects in Vahaneri, the Sri Lanka military commanders did not allow us as this area was under the control of Liberation Tigers (LTTE).

"With the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we are able to participate in projects that will benefit the residents of Vahaneri. Our Foundation gives priority to educational, self-employment, health, nutrition and housing related projects. A Village Development Council building, a bakery and wells for drinking water will soon be built.

"270 students attend classes ranging from grade 1 to grade 9 attend the school with only two teaching staff consisting of the principal and a volunteer teacher. Education Officials should appoint more teachers to attend to the educational needs of the attending children," Jeyaruban added.

Speaking at the event, L.M. Jainudeen, Assistant Commissioner of Education, Kalkudah region said,"Kalkudah with a shortage of about 500 techers is the worst hit in education among the three regions Batticaloa, Pattiruppu and Kalkudah."

Vahaneri is a village of about 450 familied involved in fishing and agriculture. The village lies 38km northwest of Batticaloa town and is 3km from Vahaneri junction on the main Batticaloa-Colombo road. After the removal of Army camp from Vahaneri in 1995, bus services to Valaichenai were suspended and villagers have to walk to Valaichenai to attend to medical needs or procure food supplies, sources said.




(L-R)Principal S. Balachandran, L.M.Jainudeen, Gramasevaka M. Munananda, and Jeyaruban