- ‘A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed’ – Commissioner General of Examinations praises the generous gesture of Koreans living in Sri Lanka.
- Minister of Education states ‘strengthened ties between Koreans and Sri Lankans is heartening to see and touched by the generosity Korean people living in Sri Lanka’
In order to strengthen the efforts to combat many challenges faced by Sri Lankan students, the Korean people living in Sri Lanka handed over educational equipment amounting to almost four million Sri Lankan rupees to the Ministry of Education on 15th June 2022.
The handover ceremony took place at the Education Ministry in the presence of Hon. Susil Premajayantha Minister of Education, Mr. M.N. Ranasinghe Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Mr. L.M. D. Dharmasena Commissioner General of the Department of Examinations and Dr. Sunil Nawarathne, Director General of the National Institute of Education.
Representing the Korean society in Sri Lanka, Mr. Hong Gyu KWAK chairperson of Korean Businessmen’s Association in Sri Lanka, Mr. Seongcheol BYEON chairperson of Korean Residents Association of Sri Lanka and Mr. Gyeong Ho UM, chairperson of the Southwest Municipal Chapter of the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council were present to handover the educational items. Korean Ambassador H.E. Santhush Woonjin JEONG also attended the event.
Mr. Hong Gyu KWAK chairperson of Korean Businessmen’s Association 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.’
Hon. Dr. Susil Premajayantha Minister of Education was grateful to the Korean residents for donating almost 4 million rupees to support education sector of Sri Lanka. He stated, ‘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.’
Mr. Dharmasena, Commissioner General of Examinations 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.’
Ambassador H.E. Santhush Woonjin 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 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 Sri Lankan people by this generous contribution,
