26th October 2022, Colombo: Against the backdrop of higher education becoming more challenging for Sri Lankan communities as the nation faces an economic downturn, leading Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer Brandix Apparel Ltd. has stepped up to address this national need with the launch of a timely scholarship initiative.
Titled ‘Manusathkara University Scholarship’, Brandix has launched this programme with the intention of providing high performers of Advanced Level Examinations with the opportunity to pursue their higher education and strengthen their personal and professional development.
During the first phase of the programme’s implementation, scholarships will be extended to students from schools within ‘Model Villages’, who have been selected to State Universities as a result of excelling at their Advanced Level examinations. Model Villages is a concept developed by Brandix that aims to support the wellbeing of communities within a 10km radius of the company’s facilities. It is expected that the Scholarship Programme will immensely contribute toward bolstering the future workforce of Sri Lanka as they ready themselves to face future challenges and compete in the dynamic job market of tomorrow.
So far, 18 students have been awarded scholarships under this programme. These students have since completed Orientation and English pre-academic programmes. Their lectures have now commenced in virtual and physical modes at eight universities across the country including University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Colombo, University of Kelaniya, University of Moratuwa, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Eastern University of Sri Lanka, University of Peradeniya and the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka.
The first recipient of the Brandix Manusathkara Scholarship was K. Akshika in 2021, who was presented with a scholarship to support her as she received her tertiary education at the University of Colombo, Faculty of Technology. Akshika was ranked 2nd in the island and 1st in the Batticaloa District in the Bio Systems Technology stream at the 2019 G.C.E Advanced Level (A/L) examinations.
“In living our purpose every day, Brandix is committed to providing inspired solutions to all our stakeholders. This has helped us build a framework that allows us to make an impact beyond the business, and across our communities and planet. With our social sustainability efforts anchored to the pillars of Provide, Educate and Engage, the ‘Manusathkara University Scholarship’ is the next milestone in supporting aspiring youth of Sri Lanka to ensure the continuity of their education despite challenges they may face,” said Malika Samaraweera, Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Brandix Apparel.
Malika further added, “A significant portion of students in Sri Lanka qualifying for State universities have always faced varying obstacles as they pursue their higher education, which in turn impacts their employability and career progression. Given the current economic conditions, we’ve identified that such obstacles are more frequent. We hope that the ‘Manusathkara University Scholarship’ will offer peace of mind to top performers, which comes from knowing they can continue their higher education unimpeded.”
As one of Sri Lanka’s most responsible corporate entities, facilitating continuous education and the pursuit of individual aspirations is an important element of Brandix’s CSR and HR strategies, which are aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 04 of Quality Education.