Highlighting the importance of building female leadership in today’s society, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association possesses the ability to fulfil this need.
PM Amarasuriya made these remarks while addressing the Presidential Girl Guide Awards Ceremony, organized at the Temple Trees by the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association.
At the ceremony held yesterday, the Presidential Girl Guide Award, the highest honouring award a Girl Guide can receive, was presented to 306 Girl Guides, while the Prime Minister’s Girl Guide Award was presented to 18 individuals.
Addressing the event, PM Amarasuriya said the movement sharpens girls from the age of 8 to face various challenges with building a strong and complete character necessary to lead the nation.
“I am pleased to participate in the ceremony of presenting the Presidential and Prime Minister’s Awards by the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association. Beginning in 1917 at the Girls’ High School in Kandy, this movement has now spread island-wide. This initiative sharpens girls from the age of 8 to face various challenges in building a strong and complete character necessary to lead the nation.”
The PM further said that Sri Lanka needs such a strong future generation, adding that the commitment of these award winners, as well as the support from their parents, teachers, mentors, and guide leaders, who stood behind their success, is commendable.
“I speak to you not only as the Prime Minister but also as someone who joined this movement as a little friend in my childhood. The experiences I gained back then have guided me throughout my journey. This association creates an environment where girls are empowered and where every girl has the opportunity to contribute to shaping the future of the country. That is exactly what we expect from such movements,” she said.
PM Harini Amarasuriya pointed out that, similarly, through the ongoing education reforms implemented by the government, they aim to nurture such children.
“What we aim to achieve through our ongoing educational reform programs is also to bring forth a child into society with leadership qualities and compassion,” she added. (Newswire)