“You who have studied using our country’s free education and are now proceeding to university will also receive free education there. After completing your studies, you should serve this country, which provided you with free education, in your own districts.” Hon. Governor of the Northern Province N. Vethanayahan made this request.
The event to provide Presidential Fund scholarships to students who obtained outstanding results in the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (G.C. E. A/L) Examination was held today – on Saturday 26 September 2026, in Kilinochchi.
Last year, the top ten students in each stream at district level were selected and awarded scholarships, while this year the number was increased and Presidential scholarships were awarded to the students who secured the top 20 places in each stream in each district. Each student was awarded a scholarship of one hundred thousand rupees.
Accordingly, a total of 477 students, comprising 115 students from Jaffna District, 91 students from Kilinochchi District, 102 students from Vavuniya District, 86 students from Mannar District and 83 students from Mullaitivu District, were provided scholarships worth a total of Rs. 47.7 million, at one hundred thousand rupees per student.
At the event, the guests were traditionally welcomed and the proceedings commenced with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. Following the welcome address by the Secretary of the Presidential Fund, a special address was delivered by Senior Lecturer of the University of Jaffna, Vimal Saminathan.
Addresses were also delivered by Upali Samarasinghe, Chairman of the Vanni District Coordinating Committees and Hon. Deputy Minister of Cooperatives and R. Chandrasekhar, Chairman of the Jaffna – Kilinochchi District Coordinating Committee and Hon. Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources. An address was also delivered by Hon. Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, Speaker of Parliament, who participated as the Chief Guest. Students’ cultural performances were also held during the event.
Addressing the event, the Hon. Governor of the Northern Province noted that human resources are important for the development of a country and that it is essential to properly develop and enhance those human resources.
The Governor noted that when students complete their education and pursue university education, that too would be provided as free education, and requested that students who use the country’s resources to obtain an education and advance themselves should come forward to serve in their own districts after completing their education.
He also stated that such assistance provided to students would support their educational journey and contribute to creating skilled human resources.
The Governor noted that various assistance programmes of the Presidential Fund had begun to reach the Northern Province on a wider scale only after the government led by the President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office, and stated that the assistance provision procedures, which in the past had been centred on Colombo, have now been decentralised to the Divisional Secretariat level, with procedures created to enable people to obtain assistance more easily.
He noted that in the past, the public did not even have sufficient information as to whether assistance had been received from the Presidential Fund for the Northern Province, and stated that the situation has now changed to the extent that requests are being made for a greater number of applications to be submitted to the Presidential Fund from the Northern Province.
“Services that were limited in the past are reaching every village today. This is the change that has taken place; we must recognise this,” the Governor also noted.
Pointing out that a student from Kilinochchi District had secured first place at the national level in the Mathematics stream of last year’s General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination, the Governor congratulated the student and the teachers who taught him.
The Governor also stated that honouring a large number of students by awarding scholarships today would provide encouragement and motivation to other students as well.
Hon. Members of Parliament M. Jagatheeswaran and S. Thilakanathan, the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province, the Secretary of the Provincial Ministry of Education of the Northern Province, the District Secretaries of Kilinochchi, Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Mannar, the Additional District Secretary of Vavuniya District, the Provincial Director of Education of the Northern Province, the Deputy Inspector General of Police of Kilinochchi District, students and parents, among many others, participated in the event.
