President Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that a better country will be created for the children of Sri Lanka within the next 5-10 years.
The President emphasized his commitment to ensuring that no child in the country will suffer, highlighting his dedication to resolving the economic crisis within a short span of two years.
President Wickremesinghe made these remarks while addressing the ceremony for the awarding of Presidential scholarships held today (19) at Temple Trees.
He stated that the Aswasuma program was implemented to provide income support to the people, while the Urumaya program was implemented to secure land rights. Additionally, he highlighted the launch of the Presidential Education Scholarship Program, aimed at ensuring educational opportunities for children.
In 2022 (2023), 60 G.C.E. Advanced Level students from each of the 100 education zones will be selected to receive educational scholarships, totalling 6,000 students. Each student will receive LKR 6,000 per month for a period of two years. These scholarships will be provided from March 2024 until the completion of their G.C.E. Advanced Level studies.
Additionally, following the concept of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, a scholarship program is being implemented for students from grade 1 to grade 11, covering all 10,126 schools across the island.
Scholarships allocated to each school depend on its student enrolment, ranging from a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 22 scholarships per school. Beginning from April 2024, educational scholarships from the President’s Fund will be provided to 100,000 students, amounting to Rs. 3,000 per child per month for 12 months.
Symbolizing the awarding of scholarships, 5,108 students received scholarships and awards today. President Ranil Wickremesinghe also participated in the ceremony, symbolically presenting the scholarships
Subsequently, the President visited the scholarship recipients to inquire about their backgrounds and achievements.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, speaking at the ceremony, elaborated:
“Today marks a joyous occasion for the children of our nation. Congratulations to all of you on receiving these scholarships. A total of 100,000 scholarships have been awarded through this program, including a LKR 6,000 for G.C.E. Advanced Level students. To support these initiatives, we have allocated LKR 4 billion from the President’s Fund.
The past three years have been challenging for all of us. We faced hardships, shortages of food, and difficulties in providing transportation for children to attend school. However, those times are now behind us. As President, I have made a commitment to ensure that no child in this country suffers. Consequently, we swiftly implemented necessary economic recovery programs to restore our nation’s stability.
We have initiated essential programs to steer the country away from bankruptcy, with the goal of creating a better future for our children within the next 5-10 years.
Following the recent economic crisis, many lost their sources of income. As part of our response, we have provided assistance to 2.4 million families through the Aswasuma program. Additionally, the Urumaya program was introduced to grant legal ownership of land to residents. This initiative extended property rights to individuals residing in urban apartments without legal entitlements. Moreover, our focus on education has culminated in the awarding of these scholarships to all deserving students across the country.
Hence, we have endeavoured to provide livelihoods, secure rights, and ensure children receive education. Therefore, I encourage these children to make full use of these scholarships and advance their education.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Transport, Highways and Mass Media Bandula Gunawardena, State Minister Suren Raghavan, Members of Parliament Vajira Abeywardena and Major Pradeep Udugoda. Also present were Western Province Governor Marshal of Air Force Roshan Gunathilake, Presidential Senior Advisor on National Security and Chief of Presidential Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Pradeep Yasaratne, Secretary to the President’s Fund, and Senior Additional Secretary to the President W.A Sarath Kumara.
