It's been a long time since eight-year-old Selvi slept on a bed. It's been an equally long time since she played in the garden of her house in tranquillity and peace like children her age love to do where-ever they may live. But she and many others like her wake up each morning in their makeshift homes and head to their makeshift schools set up in the welfare centres in Manik Farm in Vavuniya to attend classes trying to live as normal a life a possible in extremely trying conditions.
Y.K. Selvarajah is the Principal of one of the five schools in Arunachalam Transitional Centre in Zone One of Manik Farm with around 840 primary students. He was the former principal of Paranthan Hindu Maha Vidyalayam, an area he and thousands of others had to abandon as government troops battled the LTTE to a finish in May last year.
"Teaching these children is a very big challenge. Because they have seen a lot of violence, they tend to be boisterous and physical fighting is common among them," explained Mr. Selvarajah, whose face tells the strain he is experiencing himself working in an environment which is not the best suited to running a school.
In this school there are at least 100 students who have a single parent, the other lost in the war while several others are have lost both parents and are living in the welfare centre with relatives.
The school has 27 teachers, 18 of whom are IDPs, who themselves have been deeply traumatised by their experiences. "Initially the teachers would lapse into long periods of silence, unable to cope with the trauma they have experienced prior to arriving at the camps.
 |
| Principal Y.K. Selvarajah |
The children too would stare out of the classrooms or wander around in a daze but that is changing now. Now both the teachers and the students are more lively and enthusiastic about their work," the Principal explained.
The situation is not very different in schools in the areas which IDPs have resettled in, in the past few months. Schooling commenced at Karankanayankulam Vidyalayam in January with around 400 students and about 25 teachers with classes from primary to grade 11 but they lack even the most basic facilities needed for a school like desks and chairs.
"The children sit on the floor in the classrooms and so do the teachers, says L.Kanthan, a teacher in another school nearby. The majority of those living in the village reside in temporary homes that have been put up using the grants given by the Government as well as UN organisations and other NGOs.
Kanthan says the real challenge they face is getting the children to attend school. "We have to create an atmosphere where the children come to school of their own free will and not because they are forced to by their parents or elders.
But that will take more time," says Kanthan who having left this area in July 2008 at the behest of the LTTE was caught up in the last stages of fighting in the Mullaithivu area and later fled to safety with thousands of others.
Assistant Government Agent (AGA) Vavuniya North K.Paranthaman says that the children have been provided with free text books and uniform materials while stationery too has been provided for but admits there are shortcomings
It's 12.30 in the afternoon and Selvi and her school mates at Manik Farm have just finished school. They are distracted by the new visitors to their school compound and are fascinated to see their photos captured on a digital camera.
They push each other to get a closer look at their own faces caught on camera. They haven't seen their own faces for a long time. There are no mirrors in their homes at Manik Farm. |
E-mail
