Held annually, the John Keells English Day for 2014 was conducted at the Bishops College auditorium, Colombo 03, on Monday the 25^th of August and showcased the aptitude of the students who performed a selection of items, with the main categories for judging based on poetry and drama.

Chief Guest at the event Ms. Indrani Sugathadasa – Chairperson, Insurance Board of Sri Lanka stated that while Sinhala and Tamil are the national languages of Sri Lanka, English is an essential life skill which helps citizens connect with those of different nations. She went on to say that today youth are more reserved when it comes to acquiring assistance in learning English. She encouraged the participants to fearlessly put into practice their new skills and concluded by stressing the importance of English, as not only did it open doors to improve education, it also empowered the nation for the future.

The finalists performed before a panel of judges, teachers, friends and family after being selected from the first tier which was held at District level, with 10 branches chosen to proceed to the grand finale.

This year’s event saw performances from the Matale, Colombo, Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Ratnapura, Vavuniya, Galle, Ampara and Negombo branches with a special dance item performed by the School for the Deaf from Ratmalana.

Speaking on behalf of the judges, Mohamed Adamaly stated that even as English is a complex language to master, the participants’ command and expression of the language was laudable. He went on to congratulate the participants on the effort and progress made in grasping the language.

Also present at the event were Gateway Group Director Dr. Harsha Alles, Ms. Nadija Tambiah, Head of CSR, John Keells Holdings PLC, Ms. Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of Operations – CSR, John Keells Foundation and Project Champion Ms. Kumudu Munasinghe.

John Keells English Day 2014 – Results

Winner, Drama Category – Trincomalee Branch	Runner Up, Drama Category – Colombo Branch
Winner, Poetry Category – Galle Branch	Runner Up, Poetry Category – Negombo Branch
Overall Best Performer –Character “Oscar” from Ampara Branch