Kids of “Lahiru” Pre-school took themselves to the ‘Pola” (Sunday Market)

In Sinhala they say; “badu gannai vikunannai- polatai ave” we all come to the village market to buy and sell goods. So it was not different when the children of Lahiru Pre School took themselves to the “pola” at the school premises recently. Buying and selling there was in earnest.

The visible was only the tip of the ice- burg. Preparation of children and parents prior to the pola day was intense. Children were taught vocabulary around the market place through several activities. Naming fruits and vegetables, cutting and pasting pictures of fruits and vegetables, labelling goods and looking at coins and notes roused the curiosity of children and the parent teacher meeting captured the attention of the parents.

The day dawned with little people clad in sarongs and cloths and jackets piling into the school compound with their wares. Excitedly but paying due attention to others, they each settled on a patch of their own spreading their mats and arranging their goods. The goods for sale were authentic stuff available in the village. Sweetmeats and dried fish netted the most amount of income.

The selling took a higher pitch when the donors of MCC Centre for Excellence Mr. Christopher Martin Jenkins & Mr. Tom Seabrook accompanied by their lovely wives together with Kushil Gunasekera made a visit to the pola. They were surprised to see a fully fledged pre- school functioning on the grounds where there was none during their first post tsunami visit to Seenigama. ”How was all this achieved in such a short time?” they queried in amazement. When responded to in a polite tone- “thanks to your donations”, they rebuked “money is only a minor matter, the energy and the commitment is what is doing this”.

They were pleased beyond words to know that over 60 students now benefited each year from the free pre- school education provided helping them on to a great start in life.

The teachers were pleased to see the parents make a bee line to the classroom once the pola was over to deposit the income of the day in their child’s till. Saving for a rainy day has now become a habit after the school got the local bank to speak to the parents about the need to train children to save for their future.

Future seems robust for the children of Lahiru Pre- School with good education and good habits gained at school in their tender years standing in good stead for the future.

-  Sugee Kannangara

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about” - Angela Schwindt

2011.04.12