NECORD funds school buildings for Muttur east villages

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2004, 15:14 GMT]
New buildings constructed at a cost of about 3.8 million rupees in two Tamil schools in the villages, Ilankathurai Muhathuwaram and Poomarathadichchenai in the Eachilampathu division in Trincomalee district by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded North East Community Restoration and Development (NECORD) project will be declared open on Friday, NECORD Trincomalee Deputy Project Director Mr. R.Umakanthan said.

The new buildings have been constructed by the NECORD to encourage the displaced people to resettle and to provide their children with good quality education, sources said.

Ilankathurai Muhathuwaram had been badly affected by the conflict since 1985. The village infrastructure was badly damaged. In 1990 about 75 percent of more than four hundred families in the village were displaced.

Resettlement commenced in 1993. Most of the villagers depended on fishing. About eighty five percent of families are Samurdhi (poverty alleviation) beneficiaries.

Currently about 618 children of resettled villagers are studying in the Ilankathurai Muhathuwaram Government Tamil Mixed School, which is in the Liberation Tigers held area. Of 618 students about 338 do not have proper building to house their classes. The existing building has only nine classrooms. Other seven classes are conducted in a temporary shed, sources said.

The new building constructed at a cost 2.15 million rupees will provide sheltered space for seven classrooms

A new building has been constructed in the Poomarathadichchenai Sithivinayagar Vidiyalayam, which will provide accommodation for 5 classrooms and an office at a cost of 1.65 million rupees.

In 1990 disturbances about 85 percent of the families were displaced from this village. The resettlement commenced only in 1996 and 96 percent of the villagers are Samurdhi (poverty alleviation) beneficiaries. Most of the villagers depended on agriculture for the livelihood.

In the 1990 disturbances the sole building of the Sithivinayagar Vidiyalayam was completely destroyed. Since 1996 the school was functioning with 112 students in a temporary shed, sources said.

The opening of the two newly constructed buildings would provide better and quality education to students of resettled families in the remotest villages in the district, education officials said.