12th batch of Year 5 top-scorers receive Higher Education Scholarships from AVIVA NDB

Thursday, 20 September 2012 00:57 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The 12th batch of Year 5 students to benefit from AVIVA NDB Higher Education Scholarships will receive their initial monthly bursary at the awards presentation to be held on 21 September.

The scholarships are granted to every student who comes first in each of the 25 districts at the Year 5 scholarship examination and is an important corporate responsibility endeavour of the company that helps to inspire and promote academic excellence among the nation’s children. The 2005 batch entered Advanced Level class this year and the students are now entitled to receive the scholarship benefits.

Managing Director of AVIVA NDB Insurance, Shah Rouf will be the Chief Guest at the occasion. A motivational speech to inspire the young students will made by Dr. Heshani Dissanayake now an intern at the Badulla Hospital, who topped the Year 5 batch in the Badulla district in 1996. She started receiving the AVIVA NDB Higher Education Scholarship in 2002 which supported her to complete her medical degree.

All the qualifying students start receiving Rs. 2,500 every month when they enter Advanced Level until they complete their university education – each receiving up to Rs. 210,000 depending on the chosen degree. The company grants a lump-sum of Rs. 50,000 each to the students who do not enter university. The tie winners who get a lower aggregate at GCE ‘O’ Level and do not qualify to receive the monthly scholarship receive a lump sum of Rs. 40,000. There is one tie winner from Vavuniya this year.

The number of scholarships offered has grown to 450 with this newest batch to benefit from the higher education scholarship scheme. Managing Director Shah Rouf said: “The higher education scholarship is our way of recognising, encouraging and inspiring students to excel in their studies and is an important corporate responsibility activity that benefits the nation’s most promising children.”

The fund of Rs. 10 million set aside for this purpose when the scholarship scheme was launched in 1994 has now grown more than fivefold through prudent investment.