Sri Lankan nursery school

06 Mar 2010

 I have just returned from Sri Lanka. Although it was mainly holiday not work, I couldn't resist finding out about education there.

Amongst the places I visited was a small Montessori-style nursery school in the tea plantation area of the central highlands. This serves the very poor children of the Tamil tea-pickers. It is run as a charity with no government support. The facilities are basic but the children smartly turned-out. 

Here are some pictures: 

It is a one room school, with two teachers and an assistant. The children's parents pay a fairly nominal sum which just about covers the teachers' pay.

Conditions are hard on the tea plantations where the women tea-pickers earn 250 Rupees a day (about £1.50) and are expected to pick 18 kilos of leaves a day. 

Education is very important to the Sri Lankans and families make big sacrifices to ensure the best chances for their children. 

Post a comment

After posting your comment you will need to confirm it by checking your email and clicking the confirmation that will be sent to you.

Comments will appear once reviewed for appropriate content.