To promote the art of communication in English through the use of the spoken word, create an appreciation of English literature and drama and contribute to the total development of young persons and mature students in Sri Lanka.
Mrs. Varuni Jayasekara having taken into consideration the importance of learning the English language and the value of acquiring effective Communication Skills from a very young age, commenced her teaching career in July 1980. Having conducted classes by herself till 1999, she decided to establish an Academy in 2000 – the Varuni Jayasekara Academy of Speech, Drama and Communication.
Mrs. Jayasekara has forty-six years of experience as a teacher of Speech and Drama, Spoken English, Public Speaking and allied subjects. She is the Principal of the Varuni Jayasekara Academy of Speech, Drama and Communication, and the Varuni Jayasekara Academy of English for Specific Purposes. She was also a Founder Director of the Colombo Academy of Language Skills and Dramatic Art and served as its Executive Director from 1st of September 2000 to 31st of December 2023. She is at present the President of the Colombo Association of Language Skills and Dramatic Art.
She is a Fellow of the Trinity College of London and holds three Licentiate Diplomas from the same College in the fields of Speech and Drama, Effective Speaking and in the Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages. She has also obtained a Licentiate Diploma in Verse Speaking from the Guildhall School of Music and Speech London, a Fellowship in Bible Reading from the Victoria College of London, and Associate Diplomas in Speech and Drama from the London College of Music and Speech (affiliated to the University of West London) and from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In addition she has successfully completed the Gold Medal examination of LAMDA in Acting. In October 2024, she was awarded the prestigious Fellowship from the New Era Academy of London.
She has also been a Member of the Advisory Panel of the Trinity College of London, Sri Lanka Centre – from 1989 to 2018. She is the first and only candidate in Sri Lanka who was awarded a trophy in 1992 by the Sri Lanka Centre of the Trinity College of London, for having completed the three highest diplomas of Trinity College, in Speech and Drama, Effective Speaking and the Teaching of English as a Second Language.
She served on the Panel of Speech Examiners of the Department of Education Sri Lanka from 1984 to 1992, on the Panel of Examiners of the Institute of Western Music and Speech from 1983 – 1999 the Panel of Examiners of the Colombo Academy of Language Skills and Dramatic Art from 2000 to 2023 and is currently on the panel of Examiners of the Colombo Association of Language Skills and Dramatic Art from January 2024 to date.
She attended the STSD London Summer Conference Development Programme, held at the National Theatre, South Bank, London on Friday the 21st August 2015 under the auspices of the STSD, working with practitioners from the National Theatre on skills in Acting and Puppetry used in performance of the War Horse stage production and on Saturday 22nd August 2015 working with Voice, Movement and Text/Language with Globe Education practitioners and a Globe lecturer.
Mrs. Jayasekara is also the Regional Representative of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama (STSD) UK from October 2013, having been a member since 1995. She was awarded a Fellowship in June 2017, which carries with it the prestigious post nominal letters ‘FSTSD’ following a unanimous vote of the Society’s Council as announced at the STSD Annual General Meeting in London, in February 2017. The Fellowship is ‘Awarded to members who have held Full or Associate membership of the Society for a minimum of seven years in appreciation of their valued services to further the aims and objectives of the Society beyond their individual membership, through their work in theatre or the world of teaching of speech, drama and communication. In 2024 she was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for loyal and continued service to the society of Speech and Drama UK. In February 2024 she was also elected to serve on the Council of the Society of Teachers of Speech and Drama UK.
Under her training and guidance three hundred and eighty five (385) candidates have been presented for Teacher’s and Performer’s Diploma Examinations from 1993 – 2026. Three hundred and forty nine (349) candidates have obtained Diplomas conducted by prestigious London Colleges. Fourteen (14) obtained their Fellowship Diplomas, sixty four (64) their Licentiate Diplomas and two hundred and seventy one (271) their Associate Diplomas as Teachers or Performers in the fields of Speech and Drama, Acting, Musical Theatre, Effective Communication, Public Speaking, Interview Technique and Presentation Skills.
From the Colombo Academy / Association of Language Skills and Dramatic Art Thirty Six (36) candidates have obtained their Diploma – Thirty One (31) candidates have obtained their Licentiate Diplomas and Three (5) have obtained Associate Diplomas in subjects ranging from Speech and Drama to Public Speaking and Presentation Skills and Interview Technique. She has in addition trained thousands of students for Grade Examinations over a span of forty six years.
In addition to diploma-level training, Mrs. Jayasekara has trained thousands of students for Grade Examinations over a distinguished teaching career spanning more than four decades. Her lifelong dedication to communication, speech, drama, and English language education has contributed significantly to the development of professional standards in these fields in Sri Lanka and beyond.
