Building a Just, Equal and Reconciled Sri Lanka via Higher ...loyolacampussrilanka.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/loyola-campus-newsletter...Building a Just, Equal and Reconciled Sri

Building a Just, Equal and Reconciled Sri Lanka via Higher Education January 2018

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Loyola Campus– Sri Lanka

04 February

13 February

22 February

23 February

28 February

-The Independence Day of Sri Lanka

-Mahasivarathri Day

-Release of the edited book ‘Educate, Empower & Transform’

-Directors’ monthly Zoom meeting

-Release of Loyola Campus Magazine

-Fr General’s visit to Loyola Campus– Vavuniya -JCSA Members’ visit to Loyola Campus– Mannar

-Fr General’s visit to Mullaitivu -Fr General’s visit to Loyola Campus– Trincomalee

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Building a Just, Equal and Reconciled Sri Lanka via Higher Education 2018

Student intake

for different Academic & Professional courses across

Loyola Campus & JWL– Sri Lanka

Total student intake at different locations for

Academic & Professional Courses

Student Statistics– January 2018

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After the Christmas holidays, Loyola Campus

- Mannar commenced for the New Year on 3

January 2018. Due to a number of considera-

tions and the betterment of the students, the

Centre decided to extend the duration of

September-December 2017 batch for a period

of another three weeks. Although the exams

for the students were scheduled during the

first week of January 2018, the exams were

conducted only during the last week of

January.

The new batch of students commenced from

3 January 2018. Solomon Raj SJ conducted a

half-day orientation programme for the new

batch of students on 14 January 2018. The ses-

sion included an input and a number of ac-

tivities and games to make the students feel

more comfortable and at ease with the new

learning environment. Having conducted the

placement test, the students were divided

into two levels of the Cambridge Unlimited

Syllabus: Elementary and Pre-Intermediate.

The Diploma in English offered by Loyola

Campus- Mannar also continues. The

Diploma students have progressed to the in-

termediate level in Cambridge Unlimited

English.

Loyola Campus- Mannar warmly welcomed

Sr Britta Müller-Schauenburg belonging to

the Congregation of Jesus. She is from

Germany and she is in Sri Lanka as part of an

exposure programme among the Loyola

Campus- JWL students in Mannar.

The Centre always attempts to provide the

best quality education for the students and

an educative experience that can transform

their lives. In this regard one of the major

challenges the Centre faces is the irregularity

of the students who are yet to complete their

GCE Ordinary Level practical exams. Since

the exams are schedule during 21-24

February, the Centre has taken a number of

measures to accommodate the students and

provide opportunities to continue the course.

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During the first week of Jan-

uary, Loyola Campus was

busy with preparations for

the admission of new batch,

which was scheduled to

commence on 8 January

2018. The day was one of ex-

citement and joy as the stu-

dents who enrolled for the

courses showed greater in-

terest and dedication in

learning.

The placement test for the

students who enrolled were

conducted on 8 January. Ap-

proximately 40 students

attended the placement

test on 8 January. The final

list of students indicating

the level where they were

placed was displayed soon

after. Normal classes began

from 9 January 2018. The

students who enrolled later

completed the placement

exams in the coming days.

Earlier the teachers had

shifted the library to the hall

in upstairs with the help of

past students to facilitate

better use. The staff felt that

the students of the previous

batch had not used this

learning resource sufficient-

ly. We have also made

arrangements to display the

newspapers in the same hall

for easy access for students.

Prior to the commencement

of the classes the staff had

an extensive discussion on

the procedure during the

upcoming enrollment of the

students. The meeting that

lasted for almost two hours

helped the staff clarify cer-

tain important areas of

enrollment and placement

process. Another follow-up

meeting was held during the

third week of January.

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January, the first month of

the year 2018 was a grace

filled one. Loyola Campus

began the year with the final

examination for September –

December 2017 batch of stu-

dents. The exam was held

from 8-9 January 2018. All

those students who wrote

the exams got through the

exam. The center feels very

proud of the students and

encourages them to contin-

ue their learning process.

The admission for the year

2018 batch started from 2

January onwards. There

were number of students

who registered for both Eng-

lish and Computer applica-

tions and a few number of

children for Sinhala course.

Lalithakumar Selvarasa who

was a Facilitator at the Cen-

tre discontinued his tenure

due to personal reasons. He

had been a strong support

for the Centre. After having

searched, the Centre has

employed Subjini Nelson as

the new computer Facilita-

tor. There are about 37 stu-

dents who have opted for

Computer applications, 7

students for English course

and 5 students for Sinhala

course.

Despite healthy enrolment, a

big number of students who

registered for the English

course have dropped out

due to a number of reasons.

One of the reasons has been

the pending GCE O/L practi-

cal exams in February.


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Loyola Campus- Trincoma-

lee has begun the new year

new energy and positive

spirit. Under the guidance

of Aniston Morais SJ,

Loyola Campus always at-

tempts to excel in provid-

ing a transformative educa-

tion for the students. The

facilitators remain commit-

ted to the vision of Loyola

Campus.

The first batch of student

at Loyola Campus- Trinco-

malee from September-

December completed the

course with lots of satisfac-

tion for both the Centre

and the students. While

the students expressed

their joy in acquiring new

skills, the Centre and the

Facilitators too felt the

same. The exams for this

batch of students were held

on 10 January 2018.

Parents show greater

interest in admitting their

children to Loyola Campus.

They are quite pleased with

the overall formation that

the Centre provides to its

students. While excelling

in skill accumulation and

proficiency, Loyola Campus

has assisted the students in

becoming better human

beings. Due to this reason,

the students and the

parents have developed a

special affiliation to the

Centre.

The new batch of post GCE

Ordinary Level students

commenced on 8 January

2018. As expected a large

number of students en-

rolled for the courses. From

January 2018, Loyola Cam-

pus introduces the Com-

puter Application Assistant

course which was discon-

tinued for a long time due

to the lack of resources.

This has also provided a

valuable opportunity for

the students. Having con-

ducted the placement tests,

the facilitators divided the

students according to the

level of their knowledge.

This assist in better helping

the students to study.

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Loyola Campus Hatton

started the new year 2018

with enthusiasm and hope.

The campus is full of boys

and girls mostly those who

have just completed their

GCE Ordinary Level exam.

They bring a lot of joy and

desire in learning English

and computer skills. More

than 60 boys and girls have

enrolled for the courses at

the moment. They remain

faithful to the classes and

the timetable.

Unlike the previous batch

most of the students who

have enrolled in January

2018 come from the tea

estates. The Centre’s efforts

in visiting estate schools

and parishes for recruit-

ment have yielded good

results. The placement test

for the new batch was

conducted on 8 January. To

our surprise there were

already 30 students who sat

for the placement test on

the first day itself. Gradual-

ly more students started

coming.

The inauguration of Loyola

Campus- JWL English

classes at Abotsligh School

was held on 22 January.

The classes will be

conducted for Grade 9

students. Around 60 stu-

dents along with their

English teachers participat-

ed during the inauguration.

Grade 9 students had their

placement test on the same

day. Later they were divid-

ed into two classes. The

classes at this school will

be for two hours a day and

three days a week.

Five diocesan priests from

Tamil Nadu, India visited

Loyola Campus Hatton on

24 January. Their visit was

primarily for a feasibility

study of assisting the war

affected Tamils. The

Director requested them to

address the students. They

motivated the students in

acquiring important skills

that can bring them better

economic and life

opportunities.



Loyola Campus- Batticaloa

commenced its operation

in January 2018 with the

enrolment of the post GCE

Ordinary Level students. A

planning meeting among

the representatives of

Loyola Campus Country

Office and the Director and

staff of Loyola Campus-

Batticaloa was held on 19

December 2017. The meet-

ing provided a useful space

in finalising a number of

crucial tasks prior to the

commencement of the

course in Batticaloa. The

Centre started the new year

on 8 January 2018 with 55

students (40 O/L students

and 15 A/L students).

At the beginning of the

course, an orientation pro-

gramme was arranged to

better incorporate the stu-

dents to Loyola Campus

learning environment. The

one-day orientation pro-

gramme hoped to enhance

the interest of students in

learning English language.

Approximately 90 students

sat for the placement test.

It was a new experience for

many students. Having

completed the placement

exam, the students were

divided into three level of

class: Elementary, Pre-

Intermediate and Interme-

diate. The Centre organised

a beginner’s class in Eng-

lish at 7.30 am for the stu-

dents. Students who do not

have a Basic English

knowledge will benefit a lot

from the class.

The Centre has renovated

two old class rooms. It will

be extremely useful in con-

ducting classes. Moreover,

the students have helped in

cleaning the surrounding

areas and the garden of

Loyola Campus.

The Centre looks forward

to recruit new Facilitators

in order to increase the

quality and service that

Loyola Campus hopes to

render.

Maintaining trained and

qualified staff will definite-

ly determine the quality of

education that is provided

to the students. This will

remain a priority for Loyola

Campus.

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Loyola Campus- Mullaitivu began its opera-

tions from January 2018. The absence of a

Director at the Centre in January has not

halted the programme in Mullaitivu. Milroy

Fernando SJ, the Country Director and the

Superior of Wanni Jesuit mission, oversees

the operation of Mullaitivu until 1 Febru-

ary, until the new Director of the Centre is

expected to take over the responsibilities.

A number of preparatory work had com-

menced already in December 2017. The

house which is used for academic purposes

was refurbished. One more important task

that was completed was the advertising of

the establishment of Loyola Campus and

the courses offered among the students

from various schools, villages and Catholic

parishes. A number of meetings with the

principals, teachers and the parish priests

had yielded a good response from the

students in attending classes at Loyola

Campus. Music and dance classes for chil-

dren had commenced from December 2017.

English classes for students awaiting GCE

ordinary Level exam results are expected to

commence from the first week of February.

There is a healthy number of students who

desire to study both English and Computer

as these two subjects remain fundamental

in their ability to progress in the future.

Loyola Campus believes that its involve-

ment in Mullaitivu to be extremely im-

portant due a number of consideration: the

impact of war that devastated the district;

poverty and malnutrition; drug abuse and

prostitution; unemployment among youth

from 16-26 years. Education becomes an

effective platform in transforming the lives

of youth in and around Mullaitivu and

getting them engaged in the task of

rebuilding their lives.


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Directors’ Meeting in KanDy

Although Directors of Loyola Campus meet online every month to discuss and deliberate

on issues pertaining to the operation of the Institute, almost after a period of seven months

an in-person meeting was organised on 15 January 2018. On one hand it was a suitable occa-

sion for stock taking of Loyola Campus’ operation since it commenced in 1 July 2017, and on

the other hand planning for the year 2018.

The Directors shared about the operation of their centres and gave a glimpse into what has

gone into the development and stabilisation of each centre. Also concerns and challenges of

the centres were also discussed. Since the Directors coming from different parts of Sri

Lanka had adopted various strategies in their operation, the sharing become quite resource-

ful and informative.

The representatives of the Country Office briefed about the Institute’s overall functioning.

Loyola Campus calendar for the year 2018 was finalised. The final session was moderated by

Benedict Savarimuttu SJ, who gave an input on SWOT analysis and assisted the Directors in

evaluation the strengths and weaknesses of each Centre.

Loyola Campus considers the production and

dissemination of knowledge as a key factor in

institute’s contribution towards reconciliation

and peacebuilding that will pave the way to-

wards shared prosperity and economic bene-

fits for all Sri Lankans. For the past couple of

months Loyola Campus has been working on

an edited book that studies the nexus be-

tween reconciliation, peacebuilding and edu-

cation. The edited book titled Educate, Em-

power and Transform will be launched by Very

Reverend Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ on 23

February 2018.

Education is one of the key factors for pro-

moting peace and reconciliation. It is im-

portant to recognise that the relationship be-

tween education and violent conflict is highly

complex and that education systems can be

both ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator’ of war and con-

flict. Sri Lanka’s aspiration to rise from the

conflict depends on how skilled and versatile

its people are for analysing and resolving con-

flict as well as promoting peace within their

communities. Moreover, the higher education

systems in post-conflict states have the poten-

tial to contribute towards more effective post-

war reconstruction and recovery.

Book Launch

Documents

Building a Just, Equal and Reconciled Sri Lanka via Higher ...loyolacampussrilanka.files.wordpress.com/2018/02/loyola-campus-newsletter...Building a Just, Equal and Reconciled Sri