The President’s Fund and the Ministry of Education jointly implemented a scholarship programme for students who excelled in the GCE OL Examination, under the guidance of President Ranil Wickremesinghe at a cost of Rs.360 million.
Over 3,000 students who were qualified for this scholarship scheme across the country received a grant of Rs.5,000 per month for two years.
The Zonal Educational Office considers skill, aesthetics, sports, and extra-curricular activities, as well as the economic and social status of the student’s family when awarding points for this programme. Under the first phase, 3,000 students across the country qualified and 110 scholarship recipients with the highest merits in 11 education zones symbolically received their
scholarships of Rs.5,000 per month for two years at the Presidential Secretariat. The scholarship programme will award a total of 30 scholarships per zone, providing support to 3,000 students in 100 educational zones throughout the country. The scholarship programme’s total estimated cost for the two-year duration is Rs.360 million. The Education Ministry informed schools through a circular, and a newspaper advertisement was also published to encourage applications for the scholarship programme.
Along with this scholarship award, school bags, books, umbrellas, watches and a gift card worth Rs. 5,000 were also presented to the scholarship winners with the support of the Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank, National Savings Bank, Regional Development Bank and the National Paper Corporation.
Arrangements have also been made to make scholarship awards and financial donations to the remaining scholarship recipients within the next two weeks.
Education Minister Susil Premajayantha and Presidential Senior Adviser on National Security, Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, Education Ministry Secretary M.N. Ranasinghe, President’s Fund Secretary and Senior Additional Secretary to the President W.A.Sarath Kumara and several others participated in this event.