Three hundred students from the Northern Province who excelled in all subject streams of the 2023 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) Examination will each receive a grant of Rs. 100,000 from the President’s Fund.
As part of a newly launched initiative to honour high-performing students at the district level for the 2023/2024 G.C.E. A/L Examination, the President’s Fund hosted an award ceremony this morning (22) at the Iranamadu Nelum Piyasa Auditorium in the Northern Province.
During the event, 300 students from the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya, specifically 60 students per district, with the top 10 students from each subject stream, were recognised and presented with financial awards for their outstanding academic performance. The President’s Fund has allocated a total of Rs. 30 million for this initiative, which is expected to be extended to all districts in the future.
Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, addressed the gathering and noted that following the formation of the new government, the President’s Fund has been restructured and expanded under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Disanayaka. He emphasised that the Fund now operates with increased transparency, correcting past irregularities to ensure benefits are directed to the truly deserving. Dr. Kumanayake also mentioned ongoing efforts to digitise the Fund and decentralise its services to improve accessibility and efficiency.
He further highlighted that education is the key to a successful life and urged the students to take full advantage of the support provided, pursue academic excellence, become responsible citizens and contribute positively to the country’s development.
Also addressing the event were Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne and Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Ramalingam Chandrasekar.
A vote of thanks was delivered by Abhishek, a student from Jaffna Hindu College, who expressed heartfelt appreciation to the President and the President’s Fund. He described the programme as a valuable opportunity for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue higher education and achieve their goals.
In attendance at the ceremony were Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan, Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development Upali Samarasinghe, Members of Parliament K. Ilankumaran, Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy and M. Jagadeeswaran, along with other public representatives. Also present were Mr. Roshan Gamage, Senior Additional Secretary to the President and Secretary of the President’s Fund, senior officials from the Fund, government officers, heads of security forces, parents and students.
The official launch of providing all services of the President’s Fund through Divisional Secretariats across the island took place this morning (21) at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat.
Coinciding with the launch, a special training workshop for officials in the Northern Province was held at the same venue, as part of a series of workshops aimed at decentralising the President’s Fund operations to grassroots level.
Since 7 February this year, applications for medical assistance from the President’s Fund have been accepted through all Divisional Secretariats across the country. Following the successful implementation of this programme, steps have now been taken to extend digital access to all other services offered by the Fund.
Accordingly, the public can now apply online for a range of services including poverty alleviation assistance, educational scholarships, recognition for academic excellence, support for individuals with special needs, aid for children affected by the human-elephant conflict, recognition for national and public service and emergency or disaster relief. This marks the first time in the Fund’s 47-year history that services, previously limited to Colombo, are accessible via any Divisional Secretariat nationwide.
This advancement follows a decision made by the Board of Governors of the President’s Fund, chaired by the President. It is expected to improve efficiency, expand access to a wider population and minimise opportunities for misuse.
Senior Additional Secretary to the President and Secretary of the President’s Fund, Mr Roshan Gamage, briefed attendees on the Fund’s responsibilities and range of services.
As part of the government’s digitalisation drive, the official rollout of online services of the President’s Fund also took place during the event.
Minister of fisheries, aquatic and ocean resources Mr Ramalingam Chandraseker, Northern Province Governor Mr Nagalingam Vethanayahan, the Kilinochchi and Jaffna District Secretaries, other senior government officials from the Northern Province, regional officers of the President’s Fund and its administrative staff were present at the occasion.
A programme to recognise high-achieving students who excelled in the recent 2023/2024 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examination at district level has been launched by the President’s Fund. The inaugural ceremony will take place tomorrow (22) in Kilinochchi, under the patronage of Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne.
As part of this initiative, 60 outstanding students from each district, demonstrating exceptional merit across all subject streams in the 2023/2024 G.C.E. A/L examination, will be selected to receive financial scholarships and certificates.
The first phase of this province-based programme will be held tomorrow in Kilinochchi. High-achievers from the Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya districts who excelled in the 2023 G.C.E. A/L examination will be honoured at the event.
The President’s Fund is currently making arrangements to recognise similarly accomplished students in other districts in due course.
The President’s Fund has organized a provincial-level awards programme to honour outstanding students who excelled in the 2023/2024 GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examinations at the district level.
Under this initiative, 60 top-performing students from each district selected based on exceptional results across all subject streams will receive financial scholarships and certificates of achievement.
The selection process is conducted in collaboration with the Department of Examinations and the University Grants Commission (UGC), using official results published for the 2023/2024 exams.
The first phase of this programme will recognize distinguished students from the Northern Province who achieved top results in the 2023 A/L examinations. The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Kilinochchi on June 22, 2025, with all preparations now finalized.
Accordingly, the exceptional students from the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya who performed remarkably in the 2023 GCE Advanced Level Examination will be honoured at the event.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway to hold award ceremonies in the other provinces shortly as well.
The acceptance of applications for medical assistance under the President’s Fund through Divisional Secretariats island wide commenced on February 7. Following the successful implementation of that initiative, preparations have now been completed to expand the digital system to include all other services offered by the Fund.
Accordingly, the public will be able to apply online via any Divisional Secretariat across the country for a wide range of services provided under the President’s Fund. These include assistance for poverty alleviation, provision of educational scholarships, recognition of students demonstrating academic excellence, support for individuals with special needs, relief assistance for children affected by wild elephant conflict, recognition of individuals for their national service or contributions to the country, Emergency and disaster relief.
This digital transformation marks a significant milestone, as it enables people across Sri Lanka to access services of the President’s Fund from anywhere in the country for the first time in its 47-year history, which had previously been limited to Colombo-based operations.
This move comes as a result of a decision taken by the Board of Governors of the President’s Fund, chaired by the President. It is expected to broaden access to assistance for a larger number of beneficiaries while also minimizing opportunities for misuse of the Fund.
The initial step in the digitalisation of government services, ‘GovPay’, will be officially launched under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake on February 7th, 2025.
This ground-breaking initiative will streamline and modernize how government institutions handle payments, enabling seamless transactions through a secure and efficient digital platform.
