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8,000 students to receive Mahapola grants

Nearly 8,000 students from low income group families who are qualified to pursue higher education but face financial difficulties will receive Mahapola Scholarship grants this year at the Mahapola Trade Exhibition opening ceremony at the St. Thomas' College in Kotte on June 30, a Commerce and Consumer Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

The number of Mahapola grant recipients will rise to 100,000 with the grant of the 8,000 scholarships this year which mark the 205th Mahapola Education and Trade Exhibition. The Mahapola Trust (MT) will spend Rs. 300 million annually to continue this higher education scheme, he said.

Fulfilling an election pledge, the UNF Government increased the monthly stipend under this scheme from Rs. 950 to Rs. 1,100 last April costing the MT of Rs.9 million per month, he said.

Mahapola Scholarship Award which initiated by late Minister Lalith Athulathmudali in 1982 was primarily meant to assist the needy students to continue their higher education in the field of bio-science, physics, commerce and art subjects. It was not a financial scheme to help the recipients to ease their cost of living, the spokesman said.

The 205th Mahapola Education and Trade Exhibition that will commence on June 30 at St. Thomas' College in Kotte, is the first such program to be held under the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The seven-day event that will culminate in July is expected to attract a large number of people, mainly students from schools within the district. The Mahapola Trade Exhibition will be conducted covering several districts and electorates for the next 12 months. Minister in charge of Mahapola, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Ravi Karunanayake has directed officials to give this concept its lost glory and to ensure that more prominence is given to it under the present administration.

At the invitation of Minister Karunanayake, the Prime Minister will award scholarship certificates to three students from each district, who had received the highest aggregate marks at the GCE A/L exam, on June 30, the spokesman said.

District Secretaries have been requested to arrange award ceremonies in their respective areas for the other batches of students who live within the region with the participation of Cabinet Ministers, Vice Chancellors of Universities and other Senior Government officers.

The scholarship winners are specially selected from Universities, Technical Colleges and the Sri Lanka Law College. 

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