Shangri-La launches school development project

The initiatives by Shangri-La Hotel to strengthen the local community by improving access to quality education is a fine example of cooperation between the private sector and the community, Speaker of Parliament Chamal Rajapaksa said.

He was speaking at a ceremony at the Dehigahalanda Vidyalaya marking the upgrading of the facilities of the school by Shangri-La Hotel. The hotel management has brought in major direct foreign investment as a gesture of service to the community.

The hotel management will renovate the school buildings and make provisions for a range of cultural activities for students at the cost of several million rupees.

The hotel carries out this service while making rapid progress with the construction of a 420 room hotel in Ambalantota, the Speaker said.

Speaker Rajapaksa commended the social consciousness reflected in this gesture and told the 1,200 students of the school to make the maximum use of the improved facilities which would now be available to them. Hambantota District Development Committee Chairman MP Namal Rajapaksa attended the event and distributed books and educational material to students.

Sajaj Mowjood, who represented the management of Shangri-La Hotel, said it is the traditional policy of the Hotel to consider the development of the community in the vicinity of the hotel, a priority. The needs have been identified in consultation with the school authorities, he added. External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris and Korean ambassador to Sri Lanka Jangmoon Choi also participated.