Korean nationals living in SL donate educational items to students

Saturday, 25 June 2022 00:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In order to strengthen the efforts to combat many challenges faced by Sri Lankan students, the Korean people living in Sri Lanka recently handed over educational equipment amounting to almost Rs. 4 million to the Ministry of Education.

The handover ceremony took place in the presence of Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, Secretary M.N. Ranasinghe, Department of Examination Commissioner General L.M.D. Dharmasena and National Institute of Education Director General Dr. Sunil Nawarathne.

Representing the Korean society in Sri Lanka, Korean Businessmen’s Association in Sri Lanka Chairperson Honggyu Kwak, Korean Residents Association of Sri Lanka Chairperson Seongcheol Byeon and Peaceful Unification Advisory Council Southwest Municipal Chapter Chairperson Gyeong Ho Um were present to handover the educational items. Korean Ambassador Santhush Woonjin JEONG also attended the event.

Korean Businessmen’s Association Chairperson Kwak stated that Korean residents in Sri Lanka were saddened to learn that Sri Lankan students were unable to take their examinations in due time due to the shortage of paper and ink.

“In response, Koreans in Sri Lanka raised money with the desire to help students who will be the future leaders of Sri Lanka. I hope our sincerity and heartfelt efforts will assist students overcome these difficult circumstances with dignity. I hope they grow up well,” he added.

Minister Premajayantha was grateful to the Korean residents for donating almost 4 million rupees to support the education sector of Sri Lanka. “The relations between Korea and Sri Lanka span for many decades. Korea has continued to extend unstinted cooperation to mega development projects and also community development projects.

“In these challenging times, the Department of Examinations face many difficulties to conduct examinations in due time for students. This donation is timely and I really appreciate this token of friendship. It will strengthen the ties between the people of Korea and Sri Lanka,” the Minister added.

Commissioner Dharmasena also expressed his gratitude to the donors. “This is the first occasion for the Department of Examinations to receive such a donation from an external party. I thank the Korean society living in Sri Lanka for lending a helping hand by addressing the challenges of this department.

“This donation will help students sit for examinations in due time paving the way for their higher studies and employment. Nearly 600,000 students sat for GCE ordinary level exams last year amid a lot of hardships. This act of kindness will undoubtedly be remembered and appreciated by not only the students but by all people of Sri Lanka,” he added.

Ambassador JEONG highly commended the Korean society in Sri Lanka who voluntarily donated educational equipment considering the plight of the students in Sri Lanka. Commending their efforts, he mentioned: “I am very proud of the Korean people in Sri Lanka. I highly appreciate this voluntary act by them. It holds a special place in my heart. The united spirit of Korean residents to donate by their own means with sincere generosity to help this beautiful island nation is very meaningful.

“Korean Residents in Sri Lanka have lived here for a long time, more than 20 to 30 years. Today, they have showed their love for Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan people by this generous contribution.”