Education for All

	Building English competency Two volunteer teachers from Melbourne joined local staff to present a two-week English language capacity building experience for both local teachers of English and young people of Mannar. New methods of teaching, interesting and engaging learning activities, conversational English sessions and the promotion of excellent online resources were presented in urban and rural schools throughout the district. An integrated “English for All” program is currently being developed.
	Language Perfect: online English program Some schools in Mannar were introduced to Language Perfect, an online resource for English learners. Language Perfect New Zealand gave us 500 free licences for Mannar. This has created considerable interest and excitement about this online English resource in local schools here. We have trained a young person from Mannar who will demonstrate how to access the program and how best to apply it in the classroom setting. The program is used by students around the world, and delivers students a highly engaging experience for their daily revision, learning and assessment.
	Research – English language learning in Mannar Research into the effectiveness of English language learning was carried out over a 3 month period across Mannar District. Huyen from Vietnam, Margaret from Australia and Grace from Mannar conducted the inquiry with teachers, administrators, students and school leavers to produce the most comprehensive survey undertaken in Mannar to date. Building the competence of English teachers, improving teaching methods, introducing fun and engaging activities and creating English language environments are some of the recommendations.
	Demonstrating engaging teaching methods Students from many outlying areas of Mannar district were stimulated to learn English by means of active learning methods. Volunteers from Australia, Vietnam and Estonia demonstrated fun ways to teach English and trialled an English teachers’ forum as a peer-support mechanism to address English learning-related issues.
	'Education for All’ Subcommittee To support the ‘Education for All’ subcommittee in Mannar (MM22 program), a sister committee has been established in Australia. A recent one-day workshop was held in Brisbane to plan what assistance could be given to its counterpart in Mannar. Its objectives include building the capacity of English teachers, establishing an overseas volunteer program and sourcing suitable resources and funding. Plans include support for teacher development, curriculum development, vocational English training, networks and resources, e-pal program connecting students there and here, volunteer program and a resource library for teachers and students.
	'English for All’ volunteer program Teachers of English, those trained in English as a Second Language or interested English speakers are invited to volunteer for two weeks or more as a living resource for the teachers and students of Mannar. From formal teaching gigs to conversational English sessions, all contributions are useful. In a country dominated by two major languages - Sinhala and Tamil - English becomes the link-language and the pathway to improved relationships, better education and employment prospects and global connectivity. Go to our ‘ACT’ page for more details on volunteering.