The pandemic resulted in the Government suspending its presidential scholarship programme for foreign students, a senior Education Ministry official said. The Higher Education Ministry said the enrollment of students for the Presidential Scholarship Programme has been suspended from the 2019/2020 academic year. University Grants Commission (UGC) Chair man Sampat h Amaratunge said the Government’s move to suspend the scholarship programme was taken mainly due to the current pandemic situation.

“The UGC only provided placements in universities for foreign students. To continue the suspension or recommencing the scholarship programme is solely a Government decision,” he said. Since the launch of the “Gover nment of Sri Lanka Presidential Scholarship Programme for Foreign Students” in 2011, nearly 150 foreign scholarship students have got the opportunity to follow undergraduate and postgraduate studies here. According to the Higher Education Ministry the main objective of this programme was to attract foreign students to Sri Lankan universities.

Seventy nine students from Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Nigeria and Korea have completed postgraduate studies and returned to their countries. Around 20 foreign students were studying at State universities as undergraduate scholarship students. Annually, more than 200 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships are awarded to Sri Lankan students by various countries through the Higher Education Ministry. (NF)