Trinco education project launched for resettled students
[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 February 2004, 22:43 GMT]
The Trincomalee Children Welfare Fund (TCWF), with the financial assistance from a group of Trincomalee Tamils domiciled in Canada, has launched a special education development project for students of displaced Tamil families who have been resettled in Tamil villages in the district.
The first education development project for about sixty students now studying in the Kanniya Government Tamil Mixed School (GTMS) was inaugurated Sunday evening by the Trincomalee district former parliamentarian, Mr.R.Sampanthan, and another former parliamentarian, Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, taught the first class under the special project for the students, sources said.
The Kanniya GTMS was reopened on February 06th, 2003 after twenty years, with only twenty students who are children of resettled internally displaced Tamil families. Now the number of students has increased to 60 as more IDPs are slowly returning to the village, Principal of the school, Mr.S. Yogarajah, said at the inaugural function.
He added that the special education development project has been implemented in the village, as the students have no other facilities to enhance their knowledge after school hours.
These students have to go to Trincomalee town, which is located seven km from Kanniya village to obtain tuition. As their parents are not on sound financial footing , Mr. Yogarajah said the TCWF has come to the rescue of them by organizing a special education development project funded by a group of Tamils of Trincomalee now domiciled in Canada.
Mr.Sampanthan said the inauguration of a special education development project in the resettled villages, would be considered as a boost to IDP families to return to their villages in large numbers with the hope that their children’s education would not be affected.
Mr.Thurairatnesingham lauded the timely service rendered by Trincomalee Tamils now domiciled in Canada, without forgetting their birthplace and their homeland in the northeast.
TCWF Chairman, Mr.S. Chandrakumar, made the welcome address. Principal Mr. Yogarajah presided.
Principal Mr.Yogarajah is seen lighting the traditional oil lamp while former parliamentarians ( L-R) Mr.Thurairatnasingham and Mr.Sampanthan with the TCWF Chairman Mr.Chandrakumar ( middle)observe.

Mr.Thurairatnasigham is seen teaching the first class while Mr.Sampanthan( extreme left) and Mr Chandrakumar of TCWF look on.

Students attending the first class taught by former parliamentarian Mr.Thurairatnsaingham under the special education development project in Kanniya village.