SDB holds Lakdaru grade-five scholarship seminars

SDB bank held a series of seminars for students facing the grade-five scholarship exam this year. Organized as a CSR initiative under SDB’s Lakdaru children’s savings account, the bank holds these seminars every year throughout the country to support and encourage students to successfully face and overcome the first big hurdle in their lives. SDB has also organized a Bodhi Puja pinkama on 18th August at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya to invoke blessings for the grade-five scholarship candidates.

In conjunction with the grade-five scholarship this year, SDB bank organized 42 Lakdaru seminars across the country this year, which includes 32 seminars in Sinhala medium and ten seminars in Tamil medium. Sinhala medium seminars were organized in Matale, Embilipitiya, Medawachchiya, Gampola, Tangalle, Deraniyagala, Moneragala, Tissamaharamaya, Chilaw, Gampaha, Ampara, Kantale, Kaduwela, Matara, Nuwara Eliya, Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa, Badulla, Kuliyapitiya, Horana, Anuradhapura, Puttalam, Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Maharagama while Tamil medium seminars were held in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Sainthamaruthu, Batticaloa, Nuwara Eliya, Matale and Bandarawela. 

Each seminar was held with the participation of nearly 1000 students, where resource persons imparted knowledge on time management, correct methods of answering questions, legible handwriting, and entering index numbers correctly among other valuable pointers. The students were also trained to write essays and incorporate the newly gained knowledge to successfully face the examination. Parallel to the Lakdaru seminar series, special seminars incorporating lectures on child psychology were held for parents of exam candidates providing awareness on how to properly encourage and guide their children to study and face the exams free from pressure or stress.  

The series of seminars were organized under SDB’s Lakdaru children’s savings account, which helps to inculcate the habit of saving from a very young age.  Under the special gift scheme of Lakdaru account, attractive gifts and scholarships are awarded periodically alongside the growth of the account balance. Going beyond a normal savings account, Lakdaru savings account offers an additional one-percent interest. Furthermore, each child account holder of Lakdaru savings scheme is entitled to an annual hospitalization insurance cover worth up to Rs.50,000/- which also covers accidental death of a guardian, when maintained Rs.10,000/- balance in the account for a month. In addition, the scheme rewards top scorers of grade-five scholarship, G.C.E. O/L and A/L exams by awarding cash prizes up to Rs.50,000/-.

Expressing his views concerning the Lakdaru scholarship seminar program, SDB Bank Marketing Head Assistant General Manager Sameera D. Liyanage said, “This is one of our important CSR programmes under which we organize island-wide seminars for grade-five scholarship students and their parents. This year too we have successfully held seminars in more than 30 cities. Through the Lakdaru seminars we aim to not only impart knowledge, but also to help them utilize knowledge in a more practical and efficient manner while constantly upholding a positive attitude. Our seminars also focus on the parents of these children, creating the much needed awareness on guiding children towards academic and personal success in a child-friendly manner.”

Liyanage also noted that SDB Bank has taken measures to conduct a Bodhi Pooja in line with the bank’s 20th anniversary, at the premises of Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya to invoke blessings on the children prior to the exam. All children facing the grade-five scholarship examination this year are invited to take part in the Bodhi Pooja.