DOHA: The groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of constructing a new building for Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha was held in Doha, according to local media reports.
A plaque was unveiled prior to the groundbreaking ceremony, which was held on 14 December at the land allocated by the government of Qatar for the construction of the Sri Lankan community school in Thumama area in Doha, Qatar.
The ceremony was attended by Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, Chief of Protocol, Ministry Foreign Affairs, Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh bin Khalifa Al Nuaimi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Tariq Abdullah Al Abdullah, Minister’s Advisor for Private Schools, Hamad Mohammed Al Ghali, Director of Private Schools Licensing Office, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar A S P Liyanage, Roshan Sanjaya Balasooriya, Chairman, Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha and Sivapragasam Sivam, Principal of the school, and several others.
“A school is not merely a building, it’s a culmination of several things. I look forward seeing a fully fledged school soon on this empty land,” The Peninsula newspaper in Qatar quoted Dr. Al Nuaimi as saying in a speech to hundreds of students, parents, teachers and Sri Lankan expatriates who were gathered at the event.
Speakers termed the groundbreaking ceremony as a ‘historical event’ for the Sri Lankan community and students in Doha. They emphasised on the importance of new school building to meet the growing demand of students.
Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha, a non-profitable community school, was established for the children of Sri Lankan expatriates living in Qatar, under the patronage and supervision of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Doha in 2001. Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha, which is governed by a Board of Trustees, is affiliated with the Sri Lankan embassy.
At the beginning, the school was a nursery with 25 students and over the years it has vastly progressed. Currently, around 1,400 students are enrolled at Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha. At present the school is functioning in a rented building and will move to the new place after completion of new buildings for the school.
The new building, which will be constructed in an area of 10,000 square meters, will boast of all amenities, new features and facilities. The school will focus on forming affiliations with higher education institutes such as SLIIT (Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology) so as to provide better opportunities to pursue higher education.
SSLSD is an approved educational institute by the Supreme Education Council of Qatar and is known as the Sri Lankan Community School. The school is also an Approved Exmination Centre by Edexcel International (UK), which grants students the opportunity to sit for Edexcel IGCSE and GCE examinations.
SSLSD now offers education from Lower Reception to Advanced Level. The school follows the Edexcel Curriculum. Students in Year 2 & Year 6 sit for the Key Stage I & II (SAT) examinations administered by Edexcel U.K.
