English Language taught at no cost
“… I was afraid to speak in English. Now I can speak English very well. When I was informed that I was selected for the next level, I was really happy…” declared Vishaka Jayathunga from Negombo.
Launched in 2004 with the intention of serving deprived youth from around the country, the John Keells English Language Scholarship Programme, which focuses on “English for Teens”, has assisted over 9500 lives as at March 31, 2014.
Drama competition
Partnering with the Gateway Languages centres, John Keells sponsors a range of scholarships including four to six month courses for school children and school leavers, internationally recognized two year Edexcel diploma programmes and customized programmes to suit special groups like undergraduates.
Chief Guest at the event Indrani Sugathadasa, Chairperson, Insurance Board of Sri Lanka stated that while Sinhala and Tamil are the national languages of Sri Lanka, English is an essential life skill which helps citizens connect with those of different nations. She went on to say that today youth are more reserved when it comes to acquiring assistance in learning English. She encouraged the participants to fearlessly put into practice their new skills and concluded by stressing the importance of English, as not only did it open doors to improve education, it also empowered the nation for the future.
Held annually, the John Keels English Day for 2014 was conducted at the Bishops College auditorium, Colombo 03, on Monday and showcased the aptitude of the students who performed a selection of items, with the main categories for judging based on Poetry and Drama.
The finalists performed before a panel of judges, teachers, friends and family after being selected from the first tier which was held at district level, with 10 branches chosen to proceed to the grand finale.
This year’s event saw performances from the Matale, Colombo, Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Ratnapura, Vavuniya, Galle, Ampara and Negombo branches with a special item performed by the School of the Deaf from Ratmalana.
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Mohamed Adamaly stated that even as English is a complex language to master, the participants’ command and expression of the language was laudable. He went on to congratulate the participants on the effort and progress made in grasping the language.
First place in the Drama category was awarded to the Trincomalee branch with the Colombo branch emerging as runners up. The Galle branch walked away winners of the Poetry category and the Negombo branch taking second place. The trophy for the overall best performer was awarded to the character “Oscar” from the Ampara branch.
When asked as to what precisely John Keells hoped to achieve by sponsoring such scholarships. Nadija Tambiah, Head of CSR, John Keells, told the Business Times that while John Keells was Sri Lanka’s largest listed company in the Colombo Stock Exchange, the success of John Keells is inexplicably linked to the success of Sri Lanka. She went on to say that the establishment wished to ensure that the citizens of Sri Lanka are capable of meeting the requirements of the future and English was a key factor in empowering the people.
Also present at the programme were Gateway Group Director Harsha Alles, Project Champion Kumudu Munasinghe, and John Keells Foundation CSR Head of Operations Carmeline Jayasuriya.