Dialog Merit Scholarship Awards ceremony

Dialog Telekom PLC held its awards ceremony recently to reward Sri Lanka's top scorers who excelled in physical science streams at the local Advanced Level examinations with Dialog Merit Scholarships.

The new scholars of 2007 and 2008 intakes, gathered at the Textile Department Auditorium of the University of Moratuwa for the awards ceremony, held under the patronage of the Vice Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka, Prof. M.T.M. Jiffry.

Former scholar, Aruni Fonseka,of Dialog Telekom's New Technology and Convergence Division, said that the Dialog Scholarship Program helped her to become an agent of change.

"Our country needs good leaders. Leaders who can make a real change to those that need a helping hand. Under the Scholarship Program, we also learnt leadership, interpersonal and team-building skills. We hail from multicultural backgrounds, but we were bonded into one Dialog scholar family", said Aruni.

Over the past years, Dialog Telekom has proven to be a leader in pursuing the cause of improving education for Sri Lankan youth.

Students from all over the island, covering all 25 districts benefit through its scholar initiatives, receiving support to pursue higher studies at secondary and tertiary levels.

Dialog awarded 30 scholarships to Ordinary Level passed students, 27 to Advanced Level passed students, fully paid scholarships to pursue degrees in telecommunication engineering at the Multimedia University in Malaysia and four to differently able students, Senior Manager of Corporate Responsibility of Dialog, Michael de Soysa said.

Prof. M.T.M. Jiffry, said that this event was historic since a corporate body has ventured out to develop human resources and complimented the company for setting a role model for others to follow.

Head of the Department of Telecommunications and Electronics of the University of Moratuwa, Kithsiri Samarasinghe, echoing his sentiments said that although during school students focus on a knowledge-based curricula, in university what is more important was the total experience and not mere gaining of knowledge.

"In school, students follow a knowledge-oriented curricular.

However in university we promote a total learning experience which is not limited to knowledge. Knowledge along with skills and attitudes are blended in holistic learning."

K.B.R. Samarasinghe, the father of scholar, K.B.R.G.T. Samarasinghe, who hails from Kandy, said that this effort of Dialog Telekom was a boon to many students who needed financial help.