Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha - An Oasis for Lankan Expats in Qatar
The Sri Lankan expatriate community residing in Qatar required stability, the feeling of being able to say that they too ‘belonged’. The only way to establish such a position was to live with their families here in Qatar. However was it advisable to uproot their children from their motherland and place them in a land where they would not be able to enjoy their culture and values? The solution according to one particular philanthropist was to open a school Sri Lankans could call their own in spite of living on foreign soil. That was the seed Mr. Kumudu Fonseka, Chairman of Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha planted in the hearts and minds of parents 14 years ago. Since then neither the Founding members nor the school has looked back but ‘Strives for Excellence’ at every turn.
Presently Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha ( SSLSD) which is a not- for- profit organization governed by a board of trustees educates over 900 students, a majority of whom are children of Sri Lankan expatriates. Having said so, the school opens doors to other communities as well and proudly notes that the student body is a healthy melange of Sri Lankan, Pilipino, Indian, African, Uzbek and even Qatari students. Recognised as a Community School by the Supreme Education Council of Qatar, the authoritative body for schools in the country, SSLSD is affiliated to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Qatar. The school’s staff consists of qualified teachers from Sri Lanka and is spearheaded by Principal Mr. Rienzie Nanayakkara who has over 30 years experience as a Senior Administrator of the United Nations.
Following the British Curriculum (EDEXCEL), the school has seen 5 batches of students successfully complete the IGCSE EDEXCEL Examination and 3 batches obtain flying colours at the GCE A Level Examination. These students currently pursue higher education in universities and higher education institutes in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, USA and the United Kingdom. The school is an EDEXCEL accredited examination center as well as a c e n t re f or ESOL ( Cambridge ) Examinations conducted by British Council Qatar.
SSLSD believes in producing...“globally eminent men and women who are held in high esteem for their academic excellence and strength of character with high ideals and responsibilities”-this is the vision of the school and its mission is to create a spirit of nationalism and internationalism in students, moulding them into wholesome individuals. The school follows a holistic approach where academic and extra- curricular activities are given equal importance. Out- door as well as indoor activities are promoted by members of the staff. A few of the numerous noteworthy factors about the school are; SSLSD is the host school for the annual Inter- School Scrabble Tournament in Qatar, the school also enrolls students for the Duke of Edinburgh Award for outdoor adventure sports. The school conducts a ‘ My Language Programme’ which is a course for Sri Lankan students from all over Qatar to learn their mother tongue (Sinhala or Tamil). Students also participate at the Qatar Schools Olympic Tournaments for Basketball, Swimming, Table Tennis and Athletics and have won several laurels. Moreover it provides students the opportunity to study Kandyan Dancing and also has a drama club that brought its second production to Sri Lanka in 2013. The club, Theatre Circle which commenced in 2010, will stage its third production, Midsummer Magic, a modern version of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Musaeus College Auditorium on 26th July 2015 at 3.00pm.
The school will soon launch on a new venture; to look into the possibility of offering the local ( Sri Lankan) Curriculum, giving the students an oppor- tunity to follow secondary education in Sri Lanka in order to enter one of the many prestigious local universities in the event their families are to return to the island. The ultimate motive is to allow all the children of SSLSD a solid opportunity to receive a sound education. The school is committed towards this task and nothing could restrain the school’s management from achieving their objective. For more information about SSLSD,
please visit www.slsqatar.org