Netherlands funds reconstruction of Seruvila Tamil schools

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 November 2005, 04:32 GMT]
Mr.Chris Eijkemans, Head of the South Asian Bureau of N (o) vib-Oxfam Netherlands (Netherlands Organization for International Development Co-operation) and his Programme Officer in Sri Lanka Ms Rixt Bode Wednesday laid foundation stones for the reconstruction of two Tamil schools in villages Uppooral and Cheenanveli in Muttur east, which were affected by December tsunami last year. Uppooral Sivasakthi Tamil School and Cheenanveli Athavan Tamil Vidiyalayam are to be reconstructed at a cost of about 20 million rupees each by the N (o) vib-Oxfam Netherlands supported by Education International and sponsored by the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU).

Novib-Oxfam Netherlands has undertaken nine schools in the tsunami affected coastal areas of the northeast under its reconstruction project. Two of them are located in Cheenanveli and Uppooral villages in the Seruvila division in the Trincomalee district.

Accompanied by Mr. Basil de Silva, Education International Co-ordinator in Sri Lanka, Ms Anjela Wijeyasinghe, Project Co-ordinator of Education International-Ceylon Teachers Union, Mr.Chris Eijkemans and Ms Rixt Bode of Novib-Oxfam Netherlands with the CTTU President Mr.N.Rajanathan, General Secretary Mr.T.Mahasivam and Education and Cultural Affairs Secretary Mr.C.Mathialagan visited Cheenanveli and Uppooral, the remotest and under developed villages in the district Wednesday to inaugurate the reconstruction work, sources said.

Mr.Chris Eijkemans laid the first foundation stone for the reconstruction of Uppooral School and Ms Rixt Bode laid the first stone for the reconstruction of Cheenanveli School.

Mr.Puratchi, Trincomalee district head of the Thamileelam Students Organization also participated in the event and laid foundation stone.

Mr.N.Rajanathan presided over the events held in these villages.