Courtesy Daily Mirror

Colombo, July 2 (Daily Mirror) – The Cabinet approved a new scholarship programme aimed at providing opportunities for Sri Lanka’s highest-performing students at the G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examinations, to pursue their first degree at internationally ranked foreign universities.

In line with the government’s policy objective of building a ‘civilized citizen and advanced human resources’, Rs. 200 million was allocated in the 2025 budget proposal to fund this initiative. 

Under the programme, scholarships will be awarded to students to complete degree programmes – up to a maximum of four years – at universities ranked within the world’s top 500 and offering instructions in English.

A total of 200 scholarships are planned to be awarded under this programme, with 20 to 50 students to be selected in 2025, for the first phase. 

Eligibility is open to students who have achieved the highest Z-scores in the main subject streams of the G.C.E. (A/L) examinations.

Applicants will be selected through a formal interview process conducted by an expert panel comprising professors and doctors from local universities. 

The proposal was presented by the Prime Minister in her capacity as the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Professional Education.