A wonderful Exhibition -City of Living English
View(s):The City of Living ENGLISH – a special exhibition new concept introduced by Mrs. Thushari Wijekoon, Assistant Director of Education English –Welimada zone was held at B/Welimada Central College on 9th March 2019 by English speaking students from 110 schools in Welimada zone. The specialty of this exhibition was graced by the exhibits which were alive.
According to Mrs.Thushari, “to learn a language, there should be more feasible situations and a lot of encouragement”. Taking this to consideration she introduced a new concept to the school culture and to the field of ELT in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Sanath Jayalath, Assistant Director of English from the Dept. of English and Foreign Languages, Ministry of Education graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The Provincial Director of Education Mr. R.M.P Rathnayake, the Deputy Director Mr.Ananda Rathnayake & the Provincial ADE – English, Mrs. K.A.B.D Pushpakumari were among the distinguished gathering. The exhibition was supported by the generous financial contributions of the individuals, other government & private organisations.
The exhibition began at 9.30 a.m. and went on till 4.00 p.m. There were over 55 stalls organized by the students of primary and secondary schools in the Welimada Educational Zone. Information Desk, Juice Bar, Healthy Way, Tourist Information Centre, Museum, E Library, Pre-schools , Pick Me service, Local food items, City protesters, Street protesters, fairs, a bus, ice cream parlour, railway station, mini dramas, advertisement centre, western café, perahera, Motor Spare parts shop, coffee shop, magic show, national festivals, tuition class, zoo theatre, cobblers, bank ,police station, fishing village, beauty parlour, green city, future lane, bookshop, textile shops, flower shops, hospitals, Indian restaurant, mosque, Gemi gedera, planetarium, big match etc. were exhibited in the event.
The students had ample opportunities to use authentic English and they enjoyed taking part in activities. The support rendered by the political leaders in the area, Directors of education, the teachers of English, retired teachers of English in the area, RESC staff, Principals and parents was overwhelming.
The judgement panel was headed by Mrs. Sujatha Jayasinghe, the RESC co-ordinator, Bandarawela. The best stalls and the best events were awarded with Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies. The Super Golden Award among the primary sections of the schools was won by B/Vidyaloka Primary School and the Super Golden Award for secondary section was won by B/Sri Devananda Maha Vidyalaya, Mirahawaththe.
All the English teachers and the students who dedicated towards the programme were appreciated by awarding certificates of appreciation. The vote of thanks was presented by Mrs.Thushari, ADE. She presented her new plans to improve English in Welimada area, where there is less opportunity for English learning.
The event concluded with lots of hopes among the gathering towards English Language enhancement.