Since 2004, PIMD has been empowering English teachers in Sri Lanka
Our team of volunteer experts from Sri Lanka and Australia, design, develop, and deliver training and classroom programs tailored to the needs of English teachers in Sri Lankan schools, small and large, rural and urban.
English teachers trained across the country
Students benefiting from the latest literacy instruction methods
Teachers registered for training
Our small but dedicated team of Sri Lankan and Australian volunteers
The Lotus English Literacy Program is at the heart of our work
This research-based program provides a structured approach to teaching essential literacy skills – word recognition based on phonics and language comprehension. We offer free online teacher training courses through Sri Lankan universities, equipping teachers with effective, evidence-based instruction methods.
We provide a free online library
Our Lotus e-Library is available free of charge to teachers and schools. It provides teaching guides for English teachers and readers for classroom use, designed specifically for the Sri Lankan context, making learning engaging and relevant for students.
By providing high-quality training and resources
we are helping to create a brighter future for children in Sri Lanka. Our Lotus English Literacy Program equips English teachers with the latest science of reading-based pedagogy and empowers students with the essential literacy skills needed for success in higher education and employment
Most Sri Lankan children start school without having heard spoken English very much at all. So the first step in our program, based on the science of reading, is to show teachers how to do simple fun exercises to help the children tune their ear to hear all the sounds in words in spoken English.
Then we introduce the secret code of the language – the alphabetic code. This is the mapping of sounds to letters. Learning the code and learning to use the code to read is what phonics is all about. We train teachers in how to teach phonics systematically and explicitly using an evidence-based instruction method.
Teachers round out their training with courses on language comprehension and how to integrate phonics and language comprehension skills into structured reading lessons. The Lotus e-Library provides a set of ‘connected text’ readers authored and illustrated by Sri Lankans specifically for Sri Lankan schools. These readers follow the Government syllabus thematic structure.