Sri Lanka to Provide Rs. 6,000 Stationery Allowance to 1.5 Million Students in 2027
COLOMBO, October 13, 2026 — The Government has approved the continuation of its school stationery assistance programme for 2027, providing Rs. 6,000 each to 1.5 million schoolchildren to help families meet education-related expenses ahead of the new academic year.
The Cabinet of Ministers granted its concurrence to the proposal following a briefing by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in his capacity as Minister of Finance, according to the Cabinet decision.
The programme, introduced in 2025, will distribute assistance through two channels: direct bank transfers for eligible children from families receiving Aswesuma welfare benefits and stationery vouchers for other identified students.
Under the approved arrangement, one million schoolchildren from Aswesuma beneficiary families will receive Rs. 6,000 each through direct transfers to their bank accounts. A further 500,000 students identified by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education will receive vouchers of the same value to purchase school stationery.
The initiative is intended to ease the financial burden on households preparing children for the new school year, particularly the costs associated with essential educational supplies.
Rs. 9 billion allocated in student assistance
Based on the announced coverage and individual allowance, the programme represents a total assistance value of Rs. 9 billion for the 2027 academic year.
Of this amount, Rs. 6 billion will be distributed through direct bank transfers to one million eligible students, while vouchers worth Rs. 3 billion will be provided to the remaining 500,000 students.
The two-part distribution mechanism is designed to extend support to a broad group of schoolchildren while using existing welfare beneficiary information and education-sector identification processes to determine eligibility.
Support for household education expenses
The continuation of the allowance comes as families prepare for the recurring costs of school education, including exercise books, stationery and other learning materials required at the beginning of an academic year.
For eligible households, the Rs. 6,000 payment or voucher is expected to contribute towards these expenses and reduce the amount families must finance from their own income.
The programme also links social assistance with educational access by directing support towards schoolchildren from low-income families and other students identified through the Ministry of Education.
The President informed the Cabinet that the necessary arrangements would be made to continue the programme in 2027, maintaining coverage of 1.5 million schoolchildren through the two assistance mechanisms.
The implementation of the programme will determine how effectively the assistance reaches eligible students before the new academic year begins.
