Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that the Mahapola Scholarship Scheme was able to make a revolutionary impact on education and new opportunities have arisen to bring together education and knowledge under the shade of Mahapola. He said this while marking the last day of the Mahapola Educational and Trade Fair which was held after a decade at Ja-Ela Municipal Stadium on Sunday (17).
Prime Minister said, “Mahapola which was revived after a decade is a special programme that changed the history of Mother Lanka. This programme which flows like Mahaweli River, expanded in various ways and travelled all over the country making various revolutions consequent to the initiative taken by the late Minister Lalith Athulathmudali.
I agreed as a MP who was in Parliament together with Lalith Athulathmudali that he added something new to the history of Parliament as an excellent orator at all times. That is why we respect him even today. As a noble democrat, he bequeathed to our Parliamentary democracy a way to discuss together with his opposite ideologies. Moreover Mahapola he initiated creatively for the betterment of our future generation.
Every mother and father thinks about the future of a child. It was pointed out that the Mahapola scholarship given to the children of a large population in our countryside and cities can create such an effect by solving the big issues that children had to face in the future.
The Employee’s Provident Fund which is available in Sri Lanka and Asia has become one of the largest banks for employees. At the beginning, no one thought that such a strong bank would emerge from it. Even Lalith Athulathmudali did not think that it would be possible to endow such a huge revolution in education.
The children who can build this country produced from Mahapola are working in various institutions of our country and internationally even today. The implementation of the Mahapola programme is for the growing generation of our country. When Mahapola was started, there were few universities as you could count on your fingers. Today, there are three to four times more State universities in the country. There are more than 20 private universities too in this country.
Mahapola is a hub that transforms new information technology and science to overcome challenges. A new message has started to be sent to the country that education and knowledge can be combined under the shadow of Mahapola. This programme of Mahapola says that in order to overcome challenges, we must change the tradition and become the generation of a country which overcomes new challenges.
Minister Nalin Fernando, North West Governor Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena and others participated.
