Sampath Bank empowers year 5 scholarship students to excel for 7th consecutive year

• Seminar series to motivate children island-wide and exceptional cash rewards for top achievers

Reiterating their commitment to the country’s future, Sampath Bank announced the launch of its annual ‘Pahe Sishyathwa’ program for the seventh consecutive year, with the commencing of the much anticipated ‘Pahe Sishyathwa’ seminar series on 23 May in Matara. The series of workshops especially focus on reaching students in rural areas of the country with limited access to supportive resources and facilities, with all sessions conducted completely free of charge and open for children island-wide. 

Building on the program’s exponential success, Sampath Bank is further enhancing their value addition by recognising those Sampath Bank Children’s account holders who excel at this year’s Scholarship Exam, as well as their schools, with lakhs in cash prizes.

Commenting on this flagship program of the Sampath Children’s Savings Accounts, Sampath Bank Marketing and Business Development Deputy General Manager Tharaka Ranwala said, “We at Sampath Bank are proud to be supporting the progress of Sri Lanka’s children through our ‘Pahe Sishyathwa’ program. The seminar series continues to successfully provide guidance to those students sitting for the Year Five Scholarship Exam and their parents, on how to meet this significant milestone in a holistic manner. The 2015 seminar series consist of six sessions conducted in Sinhala with the Tamil session conducted in Nuwara Eliya.”

Developed with the aim of empowering all Sri Lankan children, the ‘Pahe Sishyathwa’ Seminar Series is not limited to Sampath Children’s Savings Account holders, and is organised in collaboration with Neth FM. Conducted over four hours, each workshop is designed to prepare a child’s mind-set for the unique circumstance of facing a standardised, national examination for the first time in their life, as well as coping with the pressures of post examination results. The complete schedule of dates and locations of the Seminar Series is below: 

During each interactive session, renowned tutor and experienced teacher at Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa Sarath Ananda discusses two model exam papers with the students, explaining how to best decipher various questions and how to develop effective answers, as well as tips on time management and ‘short cut’ methods to answering questions. These model exam papers are prepared by the selected ‘Pahe Shishyathwa’ seminar tutor panel months in advance to conducting the seminars. 

Running simultaneous with the children’s seminar at each location is a workshop specially designed for their parents. Conducted by Sarath Alawatura, respected educator and Principal of Eheliyagoda Anura Maha Vidyalaya, this workshop advises parents on how to be encouraging and supportive to their child leading up to the exam, as well as after receiving the results. Sampath Bank further supports the attending parents with a session on managing household finances, providing them with the knowledge to efficiently manage their children’s savings funds and family finances. 

At the conclusion of the Year 5 Scholarship Exam, Sampath Bank will further reward the island’s highest achiever with Rs. 150,000, while the second and third highest achievers in the island will be awarded Rs. 100,000 and Rs. 75,000 respectively. The top five achievers in each district will also be awarded Rs. 10,000 each. Furthermore, the school of the top achiever of each district will receive a contribution of Rs. 25,000 each, while the school of the second highest achiever of each district will receive Rs. 20,000 each.To qualify for cash prizes, maintaining a minimum balance of Rs. 2,500 in a Sampath Sapiri or Pubudu Children’s Savings Account prior to the exam is required.