on the occasion of Education Seminar on February 13 at the Univerity of Peradeniya

Distinguished Faculty Members,
Aspirant Students,
Ladies and Gentleman,
 
Good afternoon, Ayubowan, Wanakkam and こんにちは。
 
First of all, I wish to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to Professor Emerita Kamara Liyange and the members of the Sri Lanka-Japan Study Centre for giving me this opportunity to speak a few words at this education seminar. 
 
Standing before you at this most picturesque university nestled amongst the rich flora is a great joy for me. I indeed envy the students of this prestigious university for being able to pursue academic career in such landscape with aesthetic beauty, setting the ideal environment for research and studies.
 
I am also delighted to note that rich academic interactions exist between the University of Peradenia and Japanese universities through the Sri Lanka-Japan Study Center, established in 2013, which is the culmination of invaluable contribution by Professor Liyanage and a group of faculty members of this university. To commemorate her dedication and strong commitment to strengthening friendship between Sri Lanka and Japan by means of scholarly interactions, the Government of Japan has decided to confer “the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” on Professor Liyanage, the handover ceremony of which will take place this evening.
 
 
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
There is a growing trend among Sri Lankan students to select Japan for their higher studies, and in response to this strong currency, the University of Tokyo, admittedly Japan’s top university, launched its branch office in Colombo last month, recognizing the greater potential to promote academic interaction with Sri Lanka. The function of this office is to support aspirant Sri Lankan students by providing detailed information to pursue their higher education in Japan, and it is open to all the students of this island.
  
Even though language barriers and access to scholarships were once deterrents for studying in Japan, many Japanese universities increasingly offer their courses in English with funding available by both the government and the private sector for scholarships. With abundance of cultural synergies between our two countries, I strongly urge the fellow students to pursue their higher studies in Japan, as it will certainly be a lifetime experience to be cherished.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
Today’s education seminar aims to provide basic information for aspirant students to take first step to study in Japan. The door to the Japanese universities is widely open for students with firm  belief and persistent efforts to make their dreams come true. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Government of Japan, MEXT in short, even sets forth a target of increasing foreign students by 1.5 times in the next 4 years from Sri Lanka and other South Asian Countries.
 
Lastly, with my sincere wish that today’s education seminar will trigger your interest to pursue higher education in Japan, as well as our commitment to support your unwavering efforts, I would like to conclude my opening remarks.
 
Thank you for your attention.