Tamil teachers support children’s education

In the "united" village of Kovilgama, teachers and volunteers try to support children’s education despite the lack of basic resources.

Trincomalee (AsiaNews) – For Tamil-language teachers of religion and the village committee in Kovilgama, Chainabay (Trincomalee district), “Supporting children in their studies is our only dream."

For this reason, they seek immediate support as they face two urgent tasks: completing the local kovil (Hindu temple) and starting the e-learning centre with more resources and work.

E-learning classes from sixth to the eleventh grade began on 23 October with 15 children but minimal resources.

"We started class with what's available, but we lack basic tools," said Singarasa Dhinesh, a young teacher.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Dhinesh, who is also the treasurer of the Kovil Sri Siththi Vinayagar Hindu Tamil religious school, said that he wants to extend the opportunity to study to Sinhalese children as well.

For now however, only Tamil-speaking children between grades 6 and 11 are studying English, whilst those in the grade 9, 10, and 11 are also learning maths and sciences.

"We only have one room, no chair or desk for the children,” said Sinappan Radha, a teacher. “They sit on a rug on the floor. No closet, no table, no blackboard, no book. We lack all these things."

The tools that are available cannot meet the needs of the children. For this reason, donations are needed to fix the unstable roof of a second classroom, now unusable.

So far, donations include two laptops and two tablets used in e-learning, but they are not enough.

Classes run from Monday to Saturday evening, between 6 and 7 pm, and are free with the help of a volunteer who takes care of the kids during the lessons.

Sunday school teachers – Radha, Nalini Mohan, Vinodharan Vimaleshwari, Lanushiya and Shobana Singarasa – under Dhinesh’s supervision also teach for free. For Dhinesh, this is a "service to our young people. Our sole purpose is for them to be well educated."

The name of the village, Kovilgama, comes from the word Kovil and indicates the unity locals feel thanks to the cooperation of Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu and Muslim places of worship.

At present, members of the Kovil committee are seeking financial aid to complete temple construction.

"It's nine years since we started building the new kovil,” said one committee member, Govindapulle Singarasa. “It's been ten years since we celebrate Pooja in a temporary place . . . it's not okay to keep God [Ganesh] in a temporary cabin for so long."

• sri lanka
• trincomalee
• kovilgama
• hindu temple
• children
• education