The Joint Organising Committee of the Annual Journalism Awards for Excellence programme of The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Press Institute announced that the Lakshman Kadirgamar Foundation had offered a fully sponsored scholarship for a young reporter to follow a professional study course in journalism.

The scholarship will be offered to the winner of the Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year Award 2008 (for journalists below 25 years) to follow a course of study at the prestigious School of Mass Communication (MASCOM) at Kottayam in Kerala, one of India’s leading Journalism Colleges managed by the Malayala Manorama Newspaper Group. The Malayala Manorama is the highest circulating Indian newspaper, and the Journalism College is headed by one of India’s best known teachers, Professor Thomas Oommen.

MASCOM has waived the tuition fees for the Sri Lankan scholar in memory of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, in whose memory the Foundation has been created. The Lakshman Kadirgamar Foundation is providing for the rest of the expenses.

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Foundation has been established to carry forward the work of the former Foreign Minister in building a better Sri Lanka.

An independent panel of judges are presently selecting the 2008 Award winners. The Awards Night has been scheduled for July at the Mount Lavinia Hotel.