All-island essay and art competition on ‘Unity in Diversity is the Strength of Our Nation’ awards ce

After three decades of deadly war, consequent devastations rendered Sri Lankan society with bitter communal divisions and estrangement. It has now become incumbent on us, to inculcate the sense of social harmony and national integration in the minds of our present day younger generation.

In this context, the Office of National Unity & Reconciliation (ONUR) and the Bakeer Markar Centre for National Unity (BMCNU) conducted an all-island essay and art competition for school children on the theme ‘Unity in Diversity is the Strength of Our Nation’. The competition attracted 1,283 essays in all three languages and 9060 pieces of art, covering all provinces of the country. 

An awards ceremony to give away prizes for the national and provincial winners of the competition will be held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Convention Hall (BMICH) on 1 November at 4 p.m. 

The event will be graced by former President and Chairperson of ONUR Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike, Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, President of the BMCNU Imthiaz Bakeer Markar and the Director General of ONUR M.S. Jayasinghe.