Mahapola Fair resumes after two years in Beliatta

Irangika RANGE

The Mahapola Education and Trade Fair which was suspended due to LTTE terrorists activities for the past two years will be resumed on October 14 at Ruhunu Vijayaba Vidyalaya in Beliatta.

Addressing a media-briefing yesterday in Colombo, Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Services Minister Bandula Gunawardene said this will be the 264th Mahapola exhibition and trade fair conducted after a lapse of two years.

The exhibition and trade fair will conclude on October 18. “We would utilize the income generated from this year’s exhibition for the uplift of school education in the country,” he said.

Minister Gunawardene said scholarships have been awarded to 160,000 university students since 1982. Meanwhile, 10,000 students following courses in other higher educational institutions in 2009 were also awarded scholarships.

He said that monthly payments of scholarships have been increased by Rs.500 this year. Rs. 2,550 and Rs. 2,500 is paid respectively for merit scholarship and ordinary scholarship holders using Rs.850 million granted annually by the Treasury.

He said the Mahapola Exhibition and Trade Fair will be expanded to other districts including the North and East in the future.

A number of stalls will be open at the Ruhunu University to educate and improve the knowledge of schoolchildren on various subjects including IT, agriculture, medicine and engineering while the Tharunyata Hetak Youth Organization will make the youth aware of employment opportunities available in the country.

He said that the Mahapola Trust Fund was initiated by the late Trade Minister Lalith Athulathmudali in 1982 to provide scholarships to under-privileged youth to complete their higher education and enable them to enjoy equal opportunities through the development of facilities for higher education.