The President urges governors to assist in speeding up the distribution of government welfare benefits to the public

President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of all governors actively ensuring the effective implementation of the government’s welfare programs and promptly delivering their benefits to the people.

The President conveyed these comments during a meeting with the Provincial Governors at the Presidential Secretariat on May 12th.

The discussion also covered addressing the teacher shortage at the provincial level and enhancing the efficiency of the ‘Urumaya’ – freehold land distribution program.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe pointed out the potential for improving the efficiency of the ‘Urumaya’-freehold land deeds program by introducing mobile services and delegating authority to a group beyond the Grama Niladhari level.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe also reminded divisional secretaries of their duty to engage with the public and ensure they benefit from this program.

Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premjayantha confirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the teacher shortage at the provincial level promptly. He mentioned that there are plans to appoint 2,500 new teachers for national schools on July 3rd.

Additionally, there will be recruitment of 2,100 teachers for subjects such as Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, Technology, and Foreign Languages, and 500 teachers based on the results of the 2021 English Medium Advanced Diploma Examination. These appointments are expected to reduce teacher vacancies in national schools significantly.

To tackle the scarcity of English medium teachers, retired teachers are encouraged to apply for contract-based positions.

Furthermore, efforts are being made to expedite the Presidential Scholarship Program, which aims to support children from low-income families funded by the Presidential Fund.

Under the Presidential Scholarship program, 16,152 scholarships will be distributed in the Western Province, 8,636 in the Northern Province, and 10,000 each in the other provinces, totaling 100,000 scholarships for students from grades one to eleven. These scholarships provide Rs. 3,000 per month for 12 months.
Moreover, the 24-month scholarship program for low-income families of children studying for the G.E.C. Advanced Level has been completed, where scholarships of Rs. 6,000 per month were granted.

The award ceremony for 2,000 students in the Colombo district is scheduled to take place on June 19 at Temple Trees, under the President’s supervision.

The scholarship program will operate at the district level, with scholarship amounts credited to students’ accounts along with any pending payments on the award day. Subsequently, the scholarship money will be directly deposited into students’ accounts during the first week of each month via an online process.

A significant scholarship program has been initiated for students studying in Piriven and Silmata educational institutes for the first time, including monks, Silamathas, and lay students. Scholarships will be awarded immediately after the application process, which has already begun for eligible students.

It was revealed that Rs. 5.1 billion has been allocated annually for these scholarship awards, fully funded by the President’s Fund. The discussion also touched upon the governors’ role in ensuring the success of these scholarship programs at the district level.

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Senior Advisor to the President on National Security and Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, along with secretaries from relevant ministries and heads of institutions were present at this meeting.