Scholarships for outstanding O/L, A/L students: Ed.Min.

The Government is to announce a Scholarship programme for students excelling in sports, other extracurricular and for international achievements.

The Scholarship programme is to be launched for 1,000 schools on July 12, by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees, and thereafter continued annually.

The programme will be under2 categories. One for innovations, aesthetic work and sports, while the other will be for international performance and all-island good performance in subject related activities.

A Scholarship is worth Rs 50,000 in cash and will be paid in 20 installments, to enable schoolchildren further enhance their performance.

Education Minister Akila Vi r a j Kariyawasam said the decision to introduce this Scholarship programme was taken considering the fact that children who excelled in certain areas did not have the means to further improve.

"The programme will help further develop the skills of the students while in school," he said.

He said the target group will be GCE O/L and A/L students, while other students too will be considered.

He said that, if 2 to 3 students from the same school are selected, they will consider more students from that school.

Students should be Sri Lankan citizens, from government schools, continuing to carryout his/her studies, to further develop the achievement recognized for the Scholarship.