Life English Academy holds first awards ceremony

The awards ceremony of Life English Academy (LEA) for its inaugural student batches was held recently at the BMICH in Colombo.

A capacity audience filled the auditorium, including nearly 700 students who were recognised for their achievements at the ceremony.

The Chief Guest on the occasion was Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena. Other distinguished guests included the Chairperson of the EAP Edirisinghe conglomerate Dr. Soma Edirisinghe, Managing Director Jeewaka Edirisinghe and Board Directors Deepa Edirisinghe, Nalaka Edirisinghe and Asanka Edirisinghe.

The ceremony opened very significantly with the welcome address delivered by a student of the academy, Tharkeshi Dharmaratne. This young student’s professional presentation and level of self confidence alone was undeniable evidence of the high calibre of training at Life English Academy.

The address by the Director and Chief Executive Officer Noeline Honter was presented with the finesse and professional expertise that we associate with this much-awarded television presenter who is in addition a British-qualified teacher and speech examiner. The academy is operated under the guidance of Honter.

The Chief Guest’s address was delivered in Sinhala and English with Minister Gunawardena’s usual oratorical skill. He stressed the importance and necessity of English in a climate of accelerated development in Sri Lanka.    

The evening focused on the achievements and prowess of the students with another special feature being a choral recitation by over 25 adult students of spoken English trained by specialist speech and drama trainer Tina Fernando.

A remarkable quality of this presentation was the fact that spoken English students, who had no experience in speech and drama (elocution) prior to their training at Life English Academy, were capable of successfully stepping up to the challenge of a formal recitation with its specialised requirements.

Nearly 700 students received certificates of successful completion of their training programmes at the event and 75 students were awarded trophies for achieving top of the class status, while 11 students were presented scholarships with eligibility for complimentary participation in their follow up level of English training at the academy.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of The EAP Edirisinghe Challenge Trophy to the Most Outstanding Achiever by Soma Edirisinghe to two students who tied for this exceptional honour. The winners of the Challenge Trophy, A.V. Dinesha Manoji De Silva, and N. C. Kariyawasam, were additionally presented with scholarships and cash awards.

In the brief period since its inauguration in August 2010, LEA has grown to be a leading English language training institution in Sri Lanka. The academy has successfully provided English language training to over 5,000 students so far and continues to provide high calibre training in various English disciplines.

The academy is owned and operated by one of the country’s top internationally renowned conglomerates, the EAP Edirisinghe Organisation. The Life English faculty comprises specially trained lecturers and teachers who are highly qualified and experienced in their particular disciplines.

LEA is committed to providing excellence in English communication skills through proficiency in speaking, reading, writing, listening and understanding. The academy places special emphasis on pronunciation, with particular attention to pronunciation problems encountered by Sri Lankan speakers of English.

The LEA training programmes include: Spoken English, General English (Writing, Speaking, Reading, Listening), Business Communication, IELTS training, English for Specific Purposes, English on Demand (customised programmes for corporate clients), Speech and Drama and English for the school syllabus.

The academy, which commenced its corporate training programme at the end of last year, has already conducted successful training for a number of executives from top calibre businesses in Colombo.

LEA is committed to providing training for all. The adult students at the academy include office workers, housewives, school leavers, university students, business executives and professionals. It caters to the English training needs of children from the age of four, to adults; the oldest trainee at present is 72 years of age!

LEA training provides custom-designed, computerised, interactive programmes combined with the facilitation of live instruction by teachers in a student-friendly environment. In addition, students have the opportunity of supplementary training at the LEA Activity Centre to be opened soon.

The Activity Centre includes a computerised English lab and chat room where the students will have additional opportunities to practise the language they learn, in a more relaxed setting. Training is conducted at the modern, well-equipped training complex at No. 95, Stanley Tillekeratne Mawatha, Nugegoda.

In September this year Life English Academy will commence its proposed island-wide expansion programme to help meet the need for English education in a developing Sri Lanka with its vision of English training for rural communities.