Activities

Magical Nightfall 2025

‘Magical Nightfall 2025’, a virtual English Night, was organized by the Department of English Language Teaching for the 2023/2024 batch of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. The event was held on Tuesday, 14 October 2025, and showcased the creativity of the students while promoting confidence and excellence in English communication.

The programme featured a variety of performances and presentations that reflected the linguistic abilities and artistic talents of the participants. Students actively engaged in the event, demonstrating their skills in a dynamic and interactive virtual setting. The event provided a platform for students to express themselves in English, thereby enhancing their fluency, confidence, and overall communication skills.

Furthermore, ‘Magical Nightfall 2025’ created an encouraging and supportive environment that fostered peer learning and collaboration. The successful organization of the event highlighted the department’s continued commitment to promoting innovative and student-centred learning experiences. Overall, the event was a meaningful and enriching experience for all participants, contributing positively to their academic and personal development.

Imperium 2025

“Imperium 2025,” the English Night, is the annual flagship event organized by the Department of English Language Teaching, designed to showcase and nurture the linguistic, creative, and performative talents of first-year students of the Faculty of Agriculture following the successful completion of the Intensive English Programme. The event was held on 2 September 2025 for the 2023/2024 batch, celebrating students’ confidence, creativity, and proficiency in English through a diverse range of performances.

The programme featured a variety of items that reflected the students’ language competence and artistic abilities, providing them with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in a structured and supportive environment. Participants engaged enthusiastically in the event, presenting performances that highlighted both their creativity and their command of English.

Furthermore, “Imperium 2025” served as an important platform for fostering self-confidence and encouraging active use of the English language beyond the classroom. The successful execution of the event underscored the department’s commitment to promoting student-centred learning and holistic development. Overall, the event was a meaningful and enriching experience, contributing significantly to the personal and academic growth of the participants.

The Night of Muses

“The Night of Muses,” the English Night for the 2022/2023 batch of students, was held on 11 November 2024 and proved to be a memorable occasion for all who attended. The event featured a series of virtual performances that highlighted the creativity and linguistic abilities of the students, while contributing to the enhancement of their English language skills.

The programme provided an engaging platform for participants to demonstrate their talents in a dynamic and interactive setting. Students actively took part in various performances, showcasing their confidence, fluency, and creativity in the use of English. The virtual format further enabled broader participation and effective use of digital tools, enriching the overall experience of the event.

Overall, “The Night of Muses” was a successful and rewarding initiative that not only celebrated student talent but also supported the development of their communication skills in an encouraging and supportive environment.

Staff Training    – 18.10.2023

A workshop was conducted on 18^th November 2023 at the English Language Laboratory to get feedback regarding the performance of the students with regard to their grammatical competence which turned out into a fruitful discussion

Workshop for BA TESL Curriculum Development

The Department of English Language Teaching organized a Workshop on 21, June 2023 via Zoom to discuss the amended BA TESL (Hons) Degree Curriculum for the academic staff of the Department of English Language Teaching. The workshop was conducted by Prof. Gamini Fonseka, Department of English and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna. The workshop was a great success for both the senior and junior members of the Department of English Language Teaching.

Research Stay at DELT-RUSL on Epicentres in World Englishes

Ms. Nina Funke from Justus Liebig University (JLU) of Giessen, Germany, who is from the research project on “Epicentres in World Englishes” led by Prof. Stefan Th. Gries and Dr. Tobias Bernaisch, stayed at the Department of English Language Teaching-Rajarata University of Sri Lanka from 2^nd may 2023 to 12^th May 2023 for research into Sri Lankan English and for a sociolinguistic survey. During her stay she conducted a workshop on ‘Corpus Linguistics and World Englishes” on 11^th May 2022, which was delivered both on site and online.

UTEL Pilot Test

The UTEL Pilot Test consisting of four components: LISTENING, SPEAKING, READING and WRITING, was held under the supervision of the Head, Department of English Language Teaching, the University UTEL Coordinator, Mr. HPK Pathirana, and the Faculty UTEL Coordinator, Ms. RMLC Kumari, for the students who were selected from the Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities. The Reading and Listening Test was held on January 30^th, 2023 at the main IT Centre, Mihintale through LMS, and the UTEL Speaking Test was held on 2^nd February, 2023 and both internal and external examiners were involved in conducting the Speaking Test. The UTEL Writing Test took place on 3^rd February, 2023 at the Amaradewa Auditorium. The students showed great enthusiasm in attending the three tests.

English Night “The Night of the Venus” – 2022

The students of the academic year 2019/ 2020 organized an English Night ‘The Night of Venus’ on 28^th 0f February 2022 on virtual platform which was well attended by Deans, Heads of Departments Senior and Junior members of the academic staff and the students. The event showcased performances of students related to English Language skills.   

Workshop on ‘Testing’

A workshop on ‘Teaching Testing” was conducted for the academic staff of the Department of English Language Teaching under the AHEAD Project on Thursday, December 10, 2021. Mr. Sarath Ananda, Senior Lecturer, Department of English Language Teaching, Sri Jayawardhanapura University, conducted the workshop. The workshop was very beneficial for all the academics of the Department of English Language Teaching.

English Curriculum Enriching Workshop for ESL

The Department of English Language Teaching organized a Curriculum Enriching Workshop – OBE – LCT under the AHEAD Project for the academic staff of the Department of English Language Teaching. It was held on 08^th April, 2021 at the English Language Laboratory of the Department of English Language Teaching, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. Senior Lecturer, Mr. MKSM Samaranayake from the Department of English Language Teaching, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka was the Resource Person at the workshop and the workshop had a significant impact on all the academics in the Department of English Language Teaching.

Workshop on ‘Teaching Reading’

Under the AHEAD Project, a workshop was conducted on “Teaching Reading” for the academic staff of the Department of English Language Teaching on 29th September, 2020 at the English Language Laboratory of the Department of English Language Teaching, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. The workshop was conducted by Mr. MKSM Samaranayake, Senior Lecturer, Department of English Language Teaching, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. All the senior and junior members of the Department of English Language Teaching were greatly benefited from the workshop.

Workshop on ‘Teaching Writing’

A workshop on ‘Teaching Writing’ was conducted for the academic staff of the Department of English Language Teaching under the AHEAD Project on Thursday, July 30, 2020 at the English Language Laboratory of the Department of English Language Teaching, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. The workshop was conducted by Mr. MKSM Samaranayake, Senior Lecturer, Department of English Language Teaching, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. All the academics of the Department of English Language Teaching gained much from the workshop.

English Night – 2017

The English Night of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities was successfully held on the 30^th of March 2017 at the Mihintale premises. The Vice Chancellor of Rajarata University of Sri Lanka Professor Ranjith Wijewardena was the chief guest on the occasion and the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and other academic staff members attended the occasion. It is expected to hold this event annually as it provides a platform for the students to enhance their English-speaking skills at large. Comparing, Oratory, Solos, Duets, Poetry Recitation, and Mini Drama were among the items presented by the students.    

Inter-Faculty English Speech Competition – 2016

The Grand Finale of the Inter Faculty English Speech Competition 2016 organized by the Department of English Language Teaching was held on the 11^th of January 2017 in the main Auditorium of the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. The Chief Guest of the event was Dr.CR Withanachchi, Dean, Faculty of Social sciences and Humanities of Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. Five finalists from the faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities, Applied Sciences and Medical and Allied Sciences contested. All the contestants were awarded with certificates and the winners were awarded with certificate and cash prizes.

Winners of the contest

1^st place       – Ms. SAMSA Suriyahetti (Faculty of Medicine & Allied Science)

2^nd place      – Mr.AWT Delshan (Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities)

3^rd place      – Miss.HPM Hewapaththuwa (Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities)

Mini Debate Series of the Technology Degree Program Students