In 2026, Lankahelp will continue to finance the salaries of 90 Tamil teachers, teaching assistants and trainee teachers of Indian origin at various schools in the districts of Batticaloa, Badulla, Monaragala and Kegalle. There is a severe shortage of teachers at Tamil schools in the mountainous region, particularly in the subjects of English, Mathematics and Science.
Through scholarships, Lankahelp also helps to train Tamil teachers.
Due to the economic crisis in the country, many parents are forced to work abroad. The children are left with their grandparents, who are often overwhelmed. Many grandparents do not always send their grandchildren to school. Since the grandparents themselves have never left their village, they usually see no point in attending school.
The more remote a village is, the more difficult it is for teachers to motivate children to attend school. Quite a few children drop out of school after the third grade. According to school administrators, more and more children (as was the case about 30 years ago) are being sent to Colombo to work as maids and servants for families there.
Promoting education, creating opportunities
Lankahelp is strongly committed to improving school education in rural areas. Many children live in remote villages and have a long, often arduous journey to school. To enable them to attend classes regularly, Lankahelp covers the costs of student accommodation (hostels) or provides financial support for travel expenses.
In addition, Lankahelp supports the expansion of school infrastructure: additional school buildings have been constructed to relieve overcrowded classrooms, and teacher accommodation has been built to retain qualified teaching staff in remote areas.
Another focus is on providing children with one warm meal a day. In particularly needy regions, where many families can only offer their children one meal a day, Lankahelp provides a nutritious lunch at school – a valuable support for the health, concentration and learning ability of the schoolchildren.
