Business
‘Better prospects for students’

Director, ‘Sri Lanka Scholar’ Kumar Sangakkara launches the website while ‘Sri Lanka Scholar’ CEO Keerthi Jayasuriya looks on
‘Sri Lanka Scholar’ is the only site with over 3000 courses to get comprehensive in information on educational opportunities within Sri Lanka and better prospects for local students, said Sri Lanka Scholar CEO Keerthi Jayasuriya.
He made these remarks at the launching of the Sri Lanka Scholar website -www.srilankascholar.lk recently at Scholar House in Colombo 04.
“International Scholar started operations in 1999. During that period, we have provided information for students who were keen to get valuable educational information and gave opportunities to students to study overseas, provided career guidance too. We also collaborated with local foreign education partners and brought in many foreign universities to collaborate with local education partners, he said.
“We brought top Malaysian universities to Sri Lanka for the first time and offered opportunities to Sri Lankan students to study in Malaysia, he said.
“With the journey of 21 years we have been working with all the leading private institutes as well as leading private schools and over the years International Scholar has been accepted as a highly reputed education provider,” he added.
In 2019 Kumar Sangakkara joined the board as a Director of Sri Lanka Scholar.
“Over 3,000 courses from over 200 Sri Lankan institutions are highlighted in the website and have a lot of resource knowledge on Sri Lankan private sector. In near future the private sector options will be highlighted,” Director of Sri Lanka Scholar Kumar Sangakkara said.
“Students could get information on scholarship programmes that are available, it will also highlight Sri Lankan universities and institutions that have foreign accreditation and transfer options for students to study overseas and this kind of an resource center is such an important tool in deciding students future education options, all in Sri Lanka during this COVID-19 pandemic. The ultimate goal is to have this as a fully-fledged knowledge and resource center for students to make use of this and what is available here in Sri Lanka for them and other future prospects for students,” he said.
There is a demand emerging for the world class educational opportunities within Sri Lanka. As the Sri Lankan government has highlighted that world class educational opportunities exist in Sri Lanka and there are a lot of options for prospective students. To showcase these options, we developed ‘Sri Lanka Scholar’.
Sri Lanka Scholar also highlights over 100 courses that provide eventual transfer options to Australia, UK, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, USA, Vietnam and Japan. This may be of interest to students delaying their international studies given the prevailing COVID situation.
Sri Lankan Government accredited courses, training programmes such as National Vocational Qualification programmes which is offered for the betterment of students who have not completed Advanced Level studies are also listed in this website. The students and parents can easily refer to these courses to find out the best available option for them.
Any student after completion of O/L or A/L can benefit from this website which has direct and clear information on local study programmes, vocational training programmes and many more.
“Sri Lanka Scholar” is an extension of International Scholar – a trusted overseas educational consultant for more than 21 years and now moving to help local education providers and interested students.
As such, “Sri Lanka Scholar” is a good platform to get information about all local educational providers and their courses for students and parents.
Business
Oil prices rise as Saudi Arabia pledges output cuts – Opec+

Oil-producing countries have agreed to continued cuts in production in a bid to shore up flagging prices.
Saudi Arabia said it would make cuts of a million barrels per day (bpd) in July and Opec+ said targets would drop by a further 1.4 million bpd from 2024.
Opec+ accounts for around 40% of the world’s crude oil and its decisions can have a major impact on oil prices.
In Asia trade on Monday, Brent crude oil rose by as much as 2.4% before settling at around $77 a barrel.
The seven hour-long meeting on Sunday of the oil-rich nations, led by Russia, came against a backdrop of falling energy prices.
Total production cuts, which Opec+ has undertaken since October 2022, reached 3.66 million bpd, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.
Opec+, a formulation which refers to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, had already agreed to cut production by two million bpd, about 2% of global demand.
(BBC)
Business
Manpower services agency wins accolades for its contribution to foreign employment sector

Its MD says. ‘go abroad only if you can work hard’
Siraj Manpower Services, one of Sri Lanka’s leading foreign employment agencies, was honoured with the Three-Star Award at the ‘Golden Awards’ 2023, organised by the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE). This award ceremony was organised to honour foreign employment agencies that have made a significant contribution to the development of the foreign employment sector, which is a major source of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka. Siraj Cafoor, Managing Director of Siraj Manpower Services, was presented with the award at the award ceremony which was held at the BMICH in Colombo under the patronage of Minister of Foreign Employment and Labour Manusha Nanayakkara.
Having been established in 2002, Siraj Manpower Services (www.sirajmanpower.lk) has earned a reputation in the field of foreign employment by winning the trust of customers for more than 20 years. It has been offering job opportunities in the Middle East countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia as housekeepers, drivers, sanitation workers, labourers and also jobs related to the apparel industry. All these workers are entitled to approved salary scales certified by the SLBFE.
“We always stand for the safety of workers who go abroad through our organisation. We work to solve the problems that arise in relation to the contracts that the workers have entered into. I must mention something special to those who go abroad for employment. That is, you should keep in mind that you go abroad only to work. Go abroad only if you can work hard. You have to remember that you are going abroad to earn some more money and achieve the advancement of your family.” said Siraj Cafoor.
Business
Direct flights between Istanbul and Katunayake to commence from August

A special discussion between Turkish Ambassador – Demet Sekercioglu and Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation – Nimal Siripala de Silva took place last week at the ministry office. The aim of the discussion was to seek authorization to commence direct flights from the Turkish Capital Istanbul to Katunayake, Sri Lanka. The Chief of Turkish Airlines’ South Asia Office Fathi Bozkurt was also present during the discussion.
Currently, Turkish Airlines connects with Sri Lanka through a route that includes a stopover in the Maldives, resulting in an additional travel time of one and a half hours. The delay caused by this routing is not favored by travelers, as emphasized by the Ambassador.
The Chief of Turkish Airlines requested for time and space to be allocated in order to initiate direct flights between Istanbul and Katunaike, thus providing convenience for Turkish tourists and travelers who prefer visit Sri Lanka.
The Minister announced that the request would be forwarded to the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka and the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited. The aim is to establish direct flights between Istanbul and Katunayake starting from August this year.
Turkish Airlines, a renowned airline with a fleet of over 100 aircraft, offers flights connecting Europe’s Vancouver and New York. The Chief of Turkish Airlines said that the new service would not only benefit European travelers but also encourage them to travel to Sri Lanka.
-
News7 days ago
Police looking for security guard of Sirisena’s brother
-
Latest News7 days ago
Jadeja’s nerveless hitting gifts Chennai Super Kings fifth IPL title
-
Features7 days ago
Sri Lanka’s ignorance matches that of US – II
-
Features7 days ago
President’s efforts require parliamentary support
-
News7 days ago
Six Lankan victims of trafficking repatriated from Myanmar
-
Business7 days ago
Havelock City Mall to be launched
-
Features7 days ago
Excitement galore for Janaka
-
Business5 days ago
‘ඇය සුරකින AIA’ celebrates one year of empowering half a million women to rise together