Japan has granted Sri Lanka JPY 282 million (approximately Rs. 591 million) to continue funding a scholarship programme that sends promising public sector officials to pursue postgraduate studies in Japan.Shopping For Authentic South Asian Apparel
The grant agreement, formalised on 17 August in Colombo, was signed and exchanged between Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Akio Isomata and Secretary to the Treasury and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, in support of the Human Resource Development Scholarship Programme (JDS).
Under the latest phase of the initiative, 15 Sri Lankan public sector officials will be selected to undertake two-year Master’s degree programmes at leading Japanese universities, commencing in 2027.
The scholarships are intended to sharpen expertise across fields considered critical to the country’s development trajectory, including Public Policy, International Relations, International Development, Macroeconomics, Public Finance and Investment Management, and Industry Development Policy and Investment Promotion.
The programme itself is built around the objective of cultivating the next generation of leadership within Sri Lanka’s public sector by offering officials access to advanced academic and professional training that would otherwise be difficult to obtain domestically.
The JDS programme has operated in Sri Lanka since 2010, and in that time a total of 254 public sector officials have passed through the initiative, gaining postgraduate qualifications and leadership experience through their studies in Japan.