Colombo , September 20, 2005 : The U.S. Embassy in Colombo has awarded 56 Sri Lankan college-level students two-year scholarships to study English at the Gateway Language Centers in Galle , Panadura and Colombo . The US dollar 20,000 grant will allow these students, representing all ethnic communities, to achieve a degree of fluency in English they would otherwise be unable to obtain. The grant agreement was signed Thursday, September 15, between the Director of the American Center in Colombo , Philip Frayne, and the Chairman of the Gateway Language Centers, Dr. Harsha Alles.

“We're extremely pleased to be able to offer these scholarships to more than fifty Tamil, Sinhala, and Muslim students who might not otherwise have the chance to gain fluency in English and thereby increase their marketability,” said Frayne after the signing. “These courses may also open up the possibility of pursuing higher education in the U.S. or another English-speaking country. We also welcome this partnership with Gateway language centers, a well-recognized language institution,” Frayne added.

The ACCESS Micro-scholarship program to teach English is a new U.S. Department of State initiative to bring English to underprivileged youth around the world. During the 2004-2005 academic years, English teaching schools selected by U.S. embassies in 39 countries enrolled 3,600 students in the English ACCESS Micro-scholarships program.

The ACCESS Micro-scholarship will cover the cost of the full two and a half year English course offered by Gateway. Each term, the student will take the Edexcel language exam and receive a certificate. Students will contribute Rs. 500 each towards the cost of their text books.

Last modified: 12 September 2008