150 AL students awarded Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships

The prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships for 2017-18 were awarded to 150 Advanced Level students from all 25 Districts across Sri Lanka, by Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam.

The Minister appreciated the assistance provided by India, including for the new trilingual school in Polonnaruwa and Saraswathy College Kandy.

He also thanked India for providing training to teachers in Sri Lanka. The High Commissioner of India said that it was a special occasion where 150 Sri Lankan students were awarded the Mahatma Gandhi Scholarships, when the world is celebrating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

India is constructing new classrooms in 27 schools in the North, of which 10 had already been handed over. Last year, India handed over the largest University Auditorium in Sri Lanka, in the University of Ruhuna, all under absolute grants.

High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu urged the students of Sri Lanka to connect with the youth of India, and take advantage of Scientific and Educational developments in India. He said that Indian Institutes of Technology and of Management have become global brand names, while the IIT Joint Entrance Exam and the Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) are now being held in Colombo for the benefit of Sri Lankan students. Sri Lankan students have now also been allowed to take National Eligibility cum Entrance Test ( NEET) for admission to Medical and Dental streams in Indian Medical Colleges.

The High Commissioner noted that India has recently launched a new Portal titled “Study in India”. More than 25,000 seats are earmarked in Indian Institutions for foreign students. He expressed hope that Sri Lanka's youth would make full use of the opportunities in India. India offers around 750 scholarships annually to the Sri Lanka's students.

For more details on the scholarship programmes and other educational assistance, visit the Indian High Commission's website: www.hcicolombo.gov.in