Mother Sri Lanka awards ceremony

The award ceremony for the schools, per-schools and pirivena institutes that carried out projects under the Mother Sri Lanka programs Project RUN, Deshabhimani Kekulu and Deshabhimani Sankalpa Pravardhana Pirivena Program in 2014/15 was held recently at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo amidst a distinguished gathering.

The chief guest was Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, founder of Sarvodhaya Movement, keynote speakers, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka and Dr. Janaki Kuruppu, founder, Mother Sri Lanka. Nearly five hundred guests including schoolchildren and teachers from schools, pre-schools and pirivenas attended the occasion. Members representing places such as Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Galenbidunu Wewa, Ampara and Hambantota were present despite the bad weather.

Mother Sri Lanka Trust was set up in 2008, with the objectives of rekindling the pride of being a Sri Lankan, to inculcate a pro-actively positive, accountable attitude about the motherland, to rise from the ashes of war, learning from the mistakes of the past, uniting under one flag, as one nation, as one people.

The Mother Sri Lanka schools program, named as Project RUN, initiated in 2012 with the approval of the Ministry of Education, has thus far been introduced to 2,600 schools. The project operates as a long-term practical program under the three themes of Responsible citizenship (R), Unity (U) and National pride (N) with the objective of creating experiences among Sri Lankan students that would help them to think deeply about one's duties and responsibilities for the country and act accordingly.

The following ten schools which obtained more than 80% marks were recognised as the Top 10 performers of Project RUN 2014/15: Thorakolayaya College, Ekiriya College, Poojapitiya Central School, Kagama Yaya 06 Dutugemunu College, Anuradhapura, Welagedara Central College, Kurunegala, Rajanganaya Yaya 05 Navodya College, Rajanganaya, Katukurunda Dharmika College, Katukurunda, Palatuwa Gunarathne Central College, Palatuwa, Godawela Sri Pagnananda College, Godawela, Ruhunu Vijayaba National College, Tangalle.

128 preschool teachers were awarded certificates for carrying out the Deshabhimani Kekulu Project from 2012 in their schools.

The following 'Top 10' pre-schools were awarded for their best performance in this category: Singithi Lama Mithuru Preschool, Rathnapura, Pubudu Preschool, Ambalanthota, Pipena Kekulu Preschool, Mundalama, Sipnana Preschool, Udugama, Kadugannawa, Widurunena Preschool, Kahawaththa, Mithuru Landaru Uyana, Pelmadulla, Shanthi Early Childhood Development Centre, Matale, Prarthana Preschool, Minipe, Lahiru Preschool, Pelmadulla, Pradeshiya Sabha Adarsha Preschool, Matale.