
The Loyalty Pledge held its Annual Scholarships Awarding Ceremony on 10th June 2022 at the Royal College Union Skills Centre. A total of one hundred and five (105) students at Royal and undergraduates who are old Royalists pursuing tertiary studies in state universities received scholarships for the year 2022/2023. Mr. Hasitha Premaratne, the Group Finance Director at Brandix Group graced the occasion as the Chief Guest whilst Mr. Harith Wijeratna, the winner of ‘The Voice Sri Lanka 2021’ was the Guest of Honour. Mr. Sanath Jayalath, the Principal of Royal College, Mr Nandun Chadraratne, the Assistant Secretary of the Royal College Union, Senior administrative staff of the Royal College, donors of the Loyalty Pledge, parents of the scholarship recipients and members of the Royal College Union participated at the event.
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the Loyalty Pledge where it had a humble beginning in 2002. The Loyalty Pledge has grown strength to strength over the years, supporting thousands of Royalists and today, it has become a major source of assistance to rescue the financially challenged student community at Royal. The Loyalty Pledge has ensured that financial difficulties should not be a barrier in any way to any student of Royal to achieve his goals regardless of his race, religion, social background etc. The Loyalty Pledge has awarded 2,377 scholarships during the last two decades.

In his speech, Mr. Premaratne enlightened the scholars on how the experiences he gained during his school life through academic, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities helped him in achieving his success in life. Mr. Shantha Jayalath, the Principal of Royal College explained to the audience the ambitious plan of the school administration to launch the Content Development Lab to develop study content for the Learning Management System (LMS) in the next few months so that students at Royal will be able to learn their curriculum distantly even amidst difficulties to physically attend the school. Mr. Harith Wijeratna, the winner of ‘The Voice Sri Lanka 2021’ and a final year medical student, shared with the audience his memories at Royal relating to concentrating on core academic studies blended with his musical achievements signifying the importance of engaging in aesthetic subjects to achieve a balanced life. Mr. Wijeratna entertained the audience by singing two famous songs.


Representing the scholars, Master Supun Abeysekara who is a student in Grade 12 delivered a speech explaining how the financial support of the Loyalty Pledge is more relevant today than ever before, considering the financial difficulties that students are undergoing at present. He has gained 9 A’s in the G.C.E O/L Examination in 2019. He is the Corporal of the Cadet Platoon and a probationary steward. He is an active member in the top board of Royal College Science Association and Mother Sri Lanka Society. He thanked the Loyalty Pledge and donors profusely for the unwavering support given to the eligible students at Royal, especially to him at all the time enabling him to continue with both academic and sport activities successfully.

Mr. Vimuth Hettiarachchi, the first year undergraduate at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura following the Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Sciences, spoke on behalf of the undergraduate scholars. He was the Captain of the Royal College Boxing Team in 2020 and represented Sri Lanka on three occasions. He shared his experiences in the boxing ring to fellow scholars how important it is to have a target and focus to achieve a victory. Mr Nandun Chandraratne, the Assistant Secretary of the Royal College Union and the office bearers of the Loyalty Pledge extended their sincere appreciation to all the donors and well-wishers of the Loyalty Pledge as the Loyalty Pledge would not have sustained for the last two decades had not been for their support.
Under the scholarship programme, a scholar would receive a stipend of Rs. 4,000/- per month for a period of one year which will be distributed on a quarterly basis. The scholars’ academic performance and engagement with extra-curricular activities will be monitored carefully during the scholarship period. These scholarships are funded by the financial donations of donors and well-wishers of the Loyalty Pledge. The unconditional commitment of the Loyalty Pledge is to support thousands of needy students to achieve their goals in their lives and to make them worthy citizens of Sri Lanka.