Chinese scholarships granted to Lankan students
A ceremony to grant Chinese Government Scholarships to Sri Lankan students for the year 2024/2025, was held at the Chinese embassy in Colombo recently.
The event held on Aug. 16 was graced by Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka – Mr. Qi Zhenhong, Sri Lankan minister of Education – Dr. Susil Premajayantha as well as officials from the Ministry and embassy cultural section.
According to the Chinese embassy, a total of 30 students from Sri Lanka were granted scholarships this year, with majors covering liberal arts, science, engineering, agriculture, medicine, education, management, economics, law, philosophy, sociology and other major disciplines.
All students are awarded full scholarships, including tuition fees (research fees), insurance fees, basic textbook fees, accommodation fees, living expenses, one-time resettlement subsidies and one-time inter-city transportation fees.
Speaking at the event, the Chinese ambassador told the students that the Chinese Government Scholarship is an important bond to strengthen the exchanges between the young generations of the two countries.
“Since its establishment in 1975, the scholarship has sponsored nearly 4,000 Sri Lankan Friends to study in China. In recent years, besides this scholarship, Chinese side has also provided an increasing number of short- and medium-term training programs for Sri Lankan students. Currently, over 1,200 Sri Lankan students go to China to study with full scholarships, one-time scholarships, and participate in short-term trainings every year. We are pleased to see that the number of scholarship applicants is increasing, the project is becoming more and more popular, and many students who have returned from their studies have become backbone talents in all walks of life in Sri Lanka. At the same time, more and more Chinese students come to Sri Lanka for further studies. Exchanges between the young generations are constantly promoting the development of friendship between our two countries,” he said.
Addressing the gathering, Education Minister – Dr. Premajayantha thanked the Chinese embassy for granting scholarships to Sri Lanka and reminded of the continuous Chinese contributions towards Sri Lanka’s Education sector over the recent years.