Free education will be taken forward - President

Scholarships to 2,500 children of migrant workers :

Sandasen Marasinghe

* Measures taken to further strengthen laws, Rights of migrant workers

The government is committed and dedicated to take forward the free education system in the country to make its beneficiaries the leaders in various fields in the international sphere, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday.

He made this observation at Temple Trees to hand over scholarships to 2,500 children of migrant workers in recognition of the contribution of the latter to the country’s economic well – being.

President Rajapaksa said students and youths should not remain like frogs in a well.

The government is ready to create an environment to impart knowledge to youths to play leading roles in various professional fields around the world, the President said.

Government has testified to this by taking measures to uplift the education of children of migrant workers who bring a massive amount of foreign exchange to the country by increasing the number of the eligible scholarship recipients to 2,500 this year.

The President said when he mooted the concept of awarding scholarships to migrant workers’ children in 1996 as the Labour Minister, there were hardly any eligible recipients above 100.

He said all are aware that migrant workers’ children today are in the highest position in society.

President Rajapaksa said the education of migrant workers' children was in a state of neglect when he initiated this scheme and the success of these children is also a success of the country.

He said when he was appointed Labour Minister in 1994 only 3,000 migrant workers had been registered in the Foreign Employment Bureau out of the hundreds of thousands who left for foreign employment. He said there was no mechanism to find out where those people were employed.

The President said the situation has changed today.

He said when he took initiatives at the time to make changes, most people in the field protested.

“Those who could not protest against me protested against its chairman.

"I still can remember people who came in Pajero jeeps holding placards,” President Rajapaksa said. “But we could guarantee the Rights of the migrant workers” .President Rajapaksa said measures have been taken to further strengthen the laws to guarantee the Rights, well - being and the protection of migrant workers.

Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Minister Dilan Perera, UPFA Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, a scholarship recipient and Moratuwa University second year student SGA Biyanga Subasinghe also spoke.