எழுச்சியில் பிறந்த இளந்தீ - "EZHUCHIYIL PIRANDHA ILANTHEE" 2014 | Page 89

NUS Tamil Language Society (NUS TLS) is proud to have supported Maalu Maalu Lanka (MML) 2013. This is a Youth Expedition Project (YEP) to the district of Batticaloa, a region in a major city in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka which is recovering from nearly three decades of conflict. Bringing 20 Singaporeans and 50 Sri Lankans together for two weeks the pilot project MML was launched in 2011. Ever since, a batch of about 25 students from National University of Singapore have been going to Batticaloa annually with the mission to equip the students with increased proficiency in English and Information Technology (IT). Having understood that the education of students in the district was disrupted due to the civil war, the mission of MML was formulated bearing in mind the socio-political conditions prevalent in the district. Upon completion of their Advanced Level Education in Tamil, many from the Tamil community in the region would head towards town for job prospects. Another group of Tamils wanted to pursue further education. This came with a necessity of high proficiency in English, which was a culture shock to many. This is because English is not used regularly and students are only exposed to the language during English lessons. Thus, one of the main objectives of MML was to impart more knowledge about English so that the Tamils are prepared for further education. Having a strong aim of inculcating and imparting English, the students are also being taught about the importance of borrowing and reading books as a form of lifelong learning and not forgetting the language. NUS TLS is very proud to support such an initiative for the social upliftment of the Tamil community in a country that has just ended its civil war. The aims of MML, to improve the educational status of the Tamils, is in line with the objectives of NUS TLS to uplift the Indian community academically which gave us the reason for accepting the request to be the endorsing organisation of this noteworthy cause. This project gives us the avenue to venture out of the local context to reach out to the lower echelons of the global community. Being brought up in a country which has great social stability, we hav e been gifted to have uninterrupted progress in our lives. MML undeniably gives the self-fulfilling experience of touching lives of the underprivileged. Maalu Maalu Lanka 2013 NUS TLS would like to continue and deepen its support for MML in the future. சிங்கப்பூர்த் தேசிய பல்கலைக்கழகத் தமிழ்ப் பேரவை 35ம் செயற்குழு 87