Maliban awards for 5S winners

AWARDS: Maliban held an awards ceremony recently to honour the schools that met the requirements of the 5S productivity programme. This was a Corporate Social Responsibility project held by the company to commemorate its 50th anniversary last year. It is based on the company's theme of being "Inspired by Goodness", which means moving forward through the incorporation of good values.

This programme was organised in recognition of the fact that children form a large section of Maliban consumers. This CSR project was one way of saying thank you by Maliban to this important consumer segment.

The 5S system, which originates from Japan, is a series of activities designed to improve organisation and create discipline, leading to improved efficiency and productivity.

Of the many schools that applied for this programme, 25 schools were selected for this programme. From this, 15 schools were short-listed based on an evaluation done by four parties comprising of an Education Ministry official, Lal Fonseka who is the 5S Consultant for this project, a representative from Maliban and an advertising agency representative.

All the schools were presented certificates at the awards ceremony. The top three schools - Panawala Vidyalaya, Godakawela, Mahamathya Vidyalaya Colombo (earlier known as Badrawathi Vidyalaya), Herath Gunaratne Vidyalaya Madampe, were chosen through an evaluation process that was set to ensure that the school met the requirements of the 5S system.

Each school will receive Rs.75,000, Rs.50,000, and Rs.30,000 worth of school equipment respectively. The equipment will be allocated based on needs of each school. The next top 12 schools also will receive school equipment such as books and sports equipment depending on the individual needs. The remaining 10 schools also will receive school equipment, as a gesture of appreciating its participation in this programme.