British Council Sri Lanka marks Commonwealth Day by hosting latest cohort of returning Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars from Sri Lanka

​The British Council in Sri Lanka hosted its annual networking event to welcome home the latest batch of Sri Lanka’s Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars returning from the UK on completion of their studies.

This year’s event, organized together with the British High Commission Colombo, was also the 65th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarships, and took place on Commonwealth Day—the first-ever “Welcome Home” event that celebrated both Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars. The scholarships enable outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world to pursue advance studies in the UK. 

Panel discussion with Sri Lanka’s Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars 

HE Andrew Patrick, British High Commissioner, Orlando Edwards, Country Director of British Council Sri Lanka, and Philip Everest, Policy Lead from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development (FCDO) Commonwealth & Marshall Scholarship Unit, together with Commonwealth and Chevening Scholarship alumni attended.

HE Andrew Patrick, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Jivanka Pathirage, Commonwealth Scholarship – University of Cambridge, Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars and Philip Everest, Policy Lead from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development (FCDO) Commonwealth & Marshall Scholarship Unit

Commonwealth Day was celebrated across 56 Commonwealth member countries on 10March under this year’s theme ‘Together We Thrive’, demonstrating how working together can build a future defined by opportunity and resilience. During his Commonwealth Day Message, His Majesty The King, Head of the Commonwealth stated, “The Commonwealth’s ability to bring together people from all over the world has stood the test of time and remains as ever-important today. As we mark this Commonwealth Day together, there is no more important task than to restore the disrupted harmony of our entire planet. For the sake of our younger generations’ threatened future, I can only hope that the Commonwealth will continue its vital work to restore that harmony.”

HE Andrew Patrick, British High Commissioner said, “Should you go to the UK to complete your education, gain work experience and come back, economists predict that this region in the next 20-30 years will be an epicentre of growth and development.”

Orlando Edwards, Country Director of British Council Sri Lanka stated, “The British Council has provided generations of scholars the opportunity to get world-class education and apply their knowledge for the benefit of Sri Lanka. Commonwealth Scholars are similar to engineers, carefully building the foundations of development while Chevening Scholars are the architects. Many of these scholars are now in prominent positions in tertiary education institutions, government, and the private sector.”

In total, six Commonwealth Scholars and seven Chevening Scholars were presented with certificates by HE Andrew Patrick and Philip Everest. The returning scholars of 2024 have completed their postgraduate studies in diverse fields including law, engineering, and international development. 

The event included a panel discussion featuring five Commonwealth and Chevening scholars. All five panellists shared insights on their professional growth, including the skills and expertise gained, and reflected on their personal growth, including key takeaways and on how they embraced their new life abroad. The panellists also discussed how they plan to use their newly acquired knowledge and experience to drive positive change and innovation in their respective organisations as well as Sri Lanka in general.

Since its inception in 1959, the Commonwealth Scholarship scheme has enabled over 1,100 talented Sri Lankan scholars to study in prestigious universities in the UK. 

The application process for Commonwealth Scholarships differs according to the type of scholarship. Applications open in May/June of each year. For further information, visit: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/ and https://www.chevening.org/scholarships/

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. They do this through their work in arts and culture, education and the English language. They work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 The British Council reached 650 million people. Please visit our website for more information: www.britishcouncil.lk

Captions:

British Council 1: Returning Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars of Sri Lanka with their alumni during the event held on Commonwealth Day 2025