The Presidential Secretariat yesterday pledged to provide additional funds, if the necessity arose, to the Mahapola Scholarship Scheme from the President’s Fund, so that no student of the scholarship scheme would be deprived of their benefits.

Media Director of the Presidential Secretariat Janadasa Peiris in a statement also guaranteed that the Mahapola scholarship will continue and there will be no reduction in the number of scholarship or in the monthly allowances given to the students.

“There has been some confusion recently regarding the future of the Mahapola Scholarship scheme, with new reports designed to confuse parent s and students. This communiqué is issued to allay the fears of students who are being misled by propagandist with ulterior motives, “Mr. Peiris stated.

At the beginning 50% of the Development Lotteries Board (DLB) income was remitted to the Mahapola Trust Fund, because it was the only higher education scholarship at that time.

Over time with the growth of the DLB and the subsequent increase in its earning it was possible to keep the Mahapola –Scholarship Scheme sufficiently funded and not deprive any would be recipient. Consequently in 1997, a need-based approach was adopted to award more scholarships to other categories of students. This decision did not affect the Mahapola scholars, whose needs have always been met and will continue unhindered.

There is no legal requirement whatsoever to channel 50% of the income from the DLB to the Mahapola Trust Fund. It is the President’s prerogative to review and allocate funds to the needy causes. That is why the President’s fund devised schemes such as the Millennium Scholarship or Ordinary Level students, scholarships for student’s from the North and East and created the Presidential Scholarship scheme for postgraduate studies. The President’s Fund also provides assistance to religious institution and for arts, culture, research and innovation.

This new scheme while serving to reach more needy causes in no way affected the Mahapola scholarships. The President’s Fund is not the sole provider for the Mahapola Scholarships. The trust also earns interest from its investments and the General Treasury supplements its finances further. In fact, the number of Mahapola beneficiaries and the amounts they received have increased progressively, the statement added.