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 program.

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 program will award a total of 30 scholarships per zone, providing support to 3,000 students in 100 educational zones throughout the country. The scholarship program’s total estimated cost for the two-year duration is Rs. 360 million. The Ministry of Education informed schools through a circular, and a newspaper advertisement was also published to encourage applications for the scholarship program.

Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha and Presidential Senior Adviser on National Security, Chief of Presidential Staff Mr. Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary to the President Mr. Saman Ekanayake, Secretary of the Ministry of Education Mr. M.N. Ranasinghe, Secretary of the President’s Fund Mr. W.A. Sarath Kumara and several others participated in this event.