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SHMA Hospitality Skills and Development Program holds its inaugural graduation ceremony

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The Skills for Sustainable Growth (SSG) program has marked a milestone with the graduation of sixty students. Funded by the Swiss government and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in collaboration with A. Baur & Co. Pvt. Ltd (Baurs), the program aims to address the skills gap among youth. The graduates completed a rigorous nine-month training, consisting of a four-month classroom phase and a subsequent five-month paid internship. This initiative not only prepares the youth for diverse career opportunities but also enhances their readiness to contribute effectively to the industry. The graduation ceremony, held on June 4, celebrated the achievements of students from two of the program’s learning centers, highlighting the program’s positive impact on the local workforce and economy.

The SSG project is based on the Swiss Vocational Skills Development (VSD) curriculum, proven to contribute significantly to the hospitality sector and the overall economy. The project will take a lead in bridging the skills gap, instill quality education standards, encourage female participation, and make Sri Lanka not just a most sought-after talent destination for hospitality but also one of the best tourist spots.

The awarding ceremony took place at the Hotel Grand Kandyan, Kandy, with the presence of Siri Walt, Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and the Maldives and Doris Manor, First Secretary (Migration) at the Embassy of Switzerland to Sri Lanka, Baurs CEO & Managing Director Rolf Blaser, National Youth Corps (NYC) Director Brig. Sujeewa Rathnayake along with NYC staff members, General Managers of partnering hotels, SHMA staff members and facilitators.



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Unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation plague most schools, say Principals

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By Pradeep Prasanna Samarakkone and Chaminda Silva

Around 500 schools across the country lack access to safe drinking water for students, Piyasiri Fernando, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Principals’ Association, has said.

Fernando told The Island that a significant number of schools did not have facilities to store water properly. He said many schools lacked sanitary facilities.

Fernando also noted that in some schools in the Eastern, North Central, Uva, North Western, and Central provinces, as well as in approximately 20% of schools located near coastal areas, there are no proper toilet facilities. Despite the issuance of circulars specifying the number of toilets to be built, based on the number of students, some schools still did not have sanitary facilities as per those guidelines, the Secretary of the Principals’ Association said.

According to the School Census -2023 (2024) conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics there were 3,882,688 schoolchildren, 830,021 in National Schools and 3,052,667 in Provincial Schools.

Out of 10,096 schools, 1,506 have 1-50 students, 1,638 have 51-100 students and 2,128 have 101-200 students. Only 67 schools have 3,001-4,000 students, while only 33 have more than 4,000 students. 3,117 or 30.9 percent schools have fewer than 10 teachers.

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Julie meets Namal at SLPP HQ

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Rajapaksa and Kariyawasam with Ambassador Chung

US Ambassador, Julie Chung, visited the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) office on Friday (14) for discussions with party representatives.

Ambassador Chung arrived at the SLPP Headquarters around 10:00 a.m. and engaged in talks for over an hour and a half. Her visit followed a request by the SLPP to meet her.

During the meeting, she held discussions with SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam, former Members of Parliament Sanjeewa Edirimanne, C.B. Ratnayake, and Jayantha Ketagoda, as well as current MP D.V. Chanaka. Milinda Rajapaksha, an advisor to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was also present.

The visit comes amid calls from SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa for an investigation into USAID fund recipients in Sri Lanka.

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Speaker agrees to probe allegations of ‘unethical funding’ by USAID

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Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne

By Saman Indrajith

Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne informed Parliament on Friday (14) that he intended to take necessary action regarding requests made by MPs concerning allegations over USAID funding in Sri Lanka.

He made this statement in response to a question raised by Opposition MP Dayasiri Jayasekara, who sought a clarification on the matter.

Jayasekara noted that SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa had sent a letter to the Speaker calling for the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to investigate reports about unethical USAID funding in the country. He questioned whether such a committee would be formed and the matter formally examined.

In response, Speaker Wickramaratne confirmed that he was planning to take appropriate action on the issue.

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