COLOMBO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan students who have sat for university entrance exams from 2019 to 2021 and want to study in private universities can apply for an interest-free loan scheme from Tuesday to Friday, a senior official said here on Monday.
The government plans to select 5,000 students for the loan scheme, said State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya in Colombo.
The minister said the students selected need to follow job-oriented courses, adding that the interest-free loan, provided by state-owned banks, is up to 1.1 million rupees (around 3,400 U.S. dollars) for each student.
Over 331,700 students sat for university entrance exams in 2023, and only about 30,000 students can enter state-owned universities, according to the Ministry of Education. ■
