Benefits of free education enhanced by Mahapola Scheme
- Prime Minister

Wiping out terrorism is the biggest challenge before the country and its people today, said Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka.

He was addressing the gathering at the 27th Mahapola scholarship awards ceremony held at the Colombo Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium recently.

The Prime Minister said LTTE terrorism had been a cancer in the body politic which had caused untold damage to peace, unity, discipline and development in the country for many decades and as such its total eradication had become the urgent need of the hour.

“We should do everything possible to restore our ancient glory as a nation which valued simplicity, respect for human rights which did not bow down to injustice.”

The Prime Minister said “we as citizens’ of Sri Lanka should love and cherish our country irrespective of communal, caste, creed and other petty differences. The Government spends colossal funds annually to provide relief and welfare activities including free health and education to the people.

No other country had spent such vast funds on social welfare measures for its people while incurring massive funds on defence to fight a most ruthless terrorist movement.

He said the Mahapola scholarship scheme had helped further enhance the benefits of free education received by the student population. “So as beneficiaries of free education you have an onerous duty by the nation to assist its economic development effort.”

The Prime Minister said the Government had declared 2008 as the year of wiping out terrorism. The Government would never curtail social welfare measure despite the increasing defence expenditure caused by the war against terrorists.

Trade, Marketing Development Co-operatives and Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardena said the Mahapola scholarship programme launched by late Minister Lalith Athulathmudali by granting scholarships to 422 students today granted scholarships to 10,500 students.

“Today the Mahapola Trust Fund spent Rs. 850 million annually on these scholarships. Students of all communities are beneficiaries under the Mahapola scheme.

Higher Education Minister Prof. Viswa Warnapala, also spoke.

A total of 10,500 students belonging to Universities and Institutes of Higher Technology received scholarships. A university student is entitled to a Rs. 2,500 monthly bursary and a student of a higher education institute Rs. 1,000 monthly.