Thousands of students in the North have begun uninterrupted schooling after a lapse of years.

In 26 years of fighting, schools were destroyed and children's access to education was disrupted. Now, more than two years after the government declared victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), many structures have been repaired, students are primed, IRIN said.

The revival of education is already having an impact in the province, with children and families eager to return to normality, according to teachers and their pupils.

"Students are coming to school regularly. We see more interest in education now," said Subramanium Vivekanandan, head of Vipulananda School, one of the largest in Vavuniya. Of 179 students who sat the 2010 year-five scholarship exam, a nationwide test, 81 passed. "Passing even 10 students would have been excellent," he said.

Of a total 1,016 schools in the Northern Province, 850 are operational, according to UN reports.

Of these, 720 have been repaired at a cost of US$4.2 million, according to the Joint Plan of Assistance Northern Province 2011, released by the government, the UN and other partners in February. At least 114 schools in the province will undergo further rehabilitation and development under the national programme in 2011.

The same report estimated 100,000 children of school-going age lived in the province.
But, the province is facing a shortage of teachers.
John Edward Solemn, assistant education director of Vavuniya South, an educational division, said the lack of teachers, especially in rural schools and in the subjects of English, mathematics and science, was a major concern for the region.

In 2010, the government trained 1,500 teachers and education officers, including a training of trainers' session for 50 advisers in the area. The government also plans a targeted training programme to alleviate shortages in English, maths, science and information technology.