The Amaliya Early Learning Centre for the Hearing Impaired (AELC) celebrated its 10th anniversary on 9th December 2025, marking a decade of dedicated service in early intervention, speech development, and specialised preschool education for hearing-impaired children aged 0 to 5 years.
The anniversary was commemorated at the Amaliya Foundation in Colombo, with Dr. Mihiri Rubasinghe, Consultant ENT Surgeon at Lady Ridgeway Hospital, serving as Chief Guest, and Dr. Meera Suresh, Vice Principal of Balavidyalaya, Chennai, as Guest of Honour. The event brought together families, educators, and well-wishers, and included student performances, parent testimonials, and expert addresses that underscored the importance of early intervention for children with hearing impairments.
During the ceremony, Ajay Amalean, Co-founder and Chairman of the Amaliya Foundation, encouraged families to act early, stating, “Hearing impaired children and their parents walk a path that requires courage and early action. We urge parents to take advantage of the critical age (0-3 years) and use the residual hearing of these children to begin their learning process early. Our intensive structured curriculum lays the foundation for integration into a mainstream school.”
Nisha Amalean, Director of the Amaliya Foundation and Principal of AELC, reflected on the centre’s achievements, saying, “Every word spoken by a child who once could not hear is a triumph of patience, dedication and love. Watching children blossom – learning to listen, to speak and to belong – has been our greatest joy. Our commitment is to continue reaching families across Sri Lanka, so no child is left behind simply because they were born without hearing.”
AELC stands as the only institution in Sri Lanka utilising the Dhvani methodology for auditory-verbal education, supported by a structured curriculum that develops listening, receptive language, and expressive speech skills. Over the past decade, 85 children have successfully transitioned from AELC to mainstream schools, demonstrating the effectiveness of the centre’s programmes.
The centre offers a comprehensive Early Intervention Programme for infants and toddlers, followed by a Preschool Programme for children up to five years old. Instruction is available in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, with a focus on activity-based learning, continuous assessment, small teacher-student ratios, and active parent involvement to reinforce speech and language skills at home.
Founded in 2013 by the Amalean family, the Amaliya Foundation remains committed to expanding access to early intervention for hearing-impaired children throughout Sri Lanka, preparing them to thrive in mainstream education from Grade 1 onwards.
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