News
The Ballet School of Colombo making history in Sri Lanka

Text and pictures by PRIYAN DE SILVA
‘The Ballet School of Colombo’ the first Sri Lankan Dance establishment to be affiliated to the Commonwealth Society of Teachersof Dancing conducted its inaugural examinations in the fields ofClassical and Jazz Ballet on the 7th of August.
Thirty six students ranging from the ages of 5 to 34 presented themselves for the exam which was conducted online. They were the firstbatch of Sri Lankan students who took the test from CSTD syllabus.
After Covid19 pandemic changed the way of life, The Colombo Ballet School took the initiative to conduct lessons online afterwhich the final grooming for the examination was done in person adhering to current health regulations.
The Colombo Ballet School has a rich history as It was the ‘Oosha Garten of Ballet’ pioneered by the late Kalasuri OoshaSaravanamuttu-Wijesinghe that was instituted as the ‘The Ballet School of Colombo’ in 2016.
The present Directors of the school are TaraCooke and Romina Gyi.
The Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing with its origins dating back to 1933 occupies a unique position amongst the dancesocieties of the world, The Society is an authoritative examining body whose high standards are internationally respected.
All grades of examinations for amateur and professional dancers are conducted underseparate syllabi for: ‧ Classical Ballet ‧ Theatrical (Stage) Dance ‧ Tap Dance ‧ ModernJazz ‧ Contemporary.
With the CSTD syllabus, students can start with the Foundation level exams and progress to a Teachers Diploma in all the above mentioneddance disciplines and enjoy the opportunities of competing and participating at international dance festivals and programs.
“Having this unique affiliation to an International Examination body gives us the ability to further train our students to be on par with international standards and provide them with fantastic opportunities to not only take part in exams but also APCA and Global competitions that propel them to be the best they can be. Healthy competition is good motivation, especially during times like these where children and adults alike spend more time in front of computers and devices andslowly descend in to a sedentary lifestyle.
We see a significant change in the students who did the exams this time. They are moreconfident, outspoken and active and is very receptive to improving themselves further” said the directors of The Ballet School TaraCooke and Romina Gyi after the examination was concluded.
The Ballet School of Colombo will continue to train students for exams in the hope of encouraging and motivating them to pursue thiscenturies old dance style that is practiced the world over and celebrated for its precision technique and grace.
News
Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation plague most schools, say Principals

By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakkone and Chaminda Silva
Around 500 schools across the country lack access to safe drinking water for students, Piyasiri Fernando, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Principals’ Association, has said.
Fernando told The Island that a significant number of schools did not have facilities to store water properly. He said many schools lacked sanitary facilities.
Fernando also noted that in some schools in the Eastern, North Central, Uva, North Western, and Central provinces, as well as in approximately 20% of schools located near coastal areas, there are no proper toilet facilities. Despite the issuance of circulars specifying the number of toilets to be built, based on the number of students, some schools still did not have sanitary facilities as per those guidelines, the Secretary of the Principals’ Association said.
According to the School Census -2023 (2024) conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics there were 3,882,688 schoolchildren, 830,021 in National Schools and 3,052,667 in Provincial Schools.
Out of 10,096 schools, 1,506 have 1-50 students, 1,638 have 51-100 students and 2,128 have 101-200 students. Only 67 schools have 3,001-4,000 students, while only 33 have more than 4,000 students. 3,117 or 30.9 percent schools have fewer than 10 teachers.
News
Julie meets Namal at SLPP HQ

US Ambassador, Julie Chung, visited the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) office on Friday (14) for discussions with party representatives.
Ambassador Chung arrived at the SLPP Headquarters around 10:00 a.m. and engaged in talks for over an hour and a half. Her visit followed a request by the SLPP to meet her.
During the meeting, she held discussions with SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, former Members of Parliament Sanjeewa Edirimanne, C.B. Ratnayake, and Jayantha Ketagoda, as well as current MP D.V. Chanaka. Milinda Rajapaksha, an advisor to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was also present.
The visit comes amid calls from SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa for an investigation into USAID fund recipients in Sri Lanka.
News
Speaker agrees to probe allegations of ‘unethical funding’ by USAID

By Saman Indrajith
Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne informed Parliament on Friday (14) that he intended to take necessary action regarding requests made by MPs concerning allegations over USAID funding in Sri Lanka.
He made this statement in response to a question raised by Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who sought a clarification on the matter.
Jayasekara noted that SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa had sent a letter to the Speaker calling for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate reports about unethical USAID funding in the country. He questioned whether such a committee would be formed and the matter formally examined.
In response, Speaker Wickramaratne confirmed that he was planning to take appropriate action on the issue.
-
News7 days ago
SLAS senior to be HC in London, several new dpl appointments
-
Features7 days ago
Ken Balendra’s impact on John Keells
-
Life style7 days ago
Polished to Perfection
-
Midweek Review4 days ago
How USAID influenced Sri Lanka
-
Features7 days ago
The Ceylon Journal’s Second Issue: A Captivating Dive into Sri Lanka’s Rich History and Culture
-
Editorial7 days ago
Cat out of the bag
-
Opinion7 days ago
The Birth of the Harry Jayawardena Empire (1977)
-
Editorial5 days ago
Needed: ‘Ministry of Excuses’