Jun 21, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa presented awards to the winners of the Mother Sri Lanka All Island Schools Competition on Saturday June 19, at the Temple Trees.

The program, an initiative of President Rajapaksa, aims to develop togetherness and solidarity in Sri Lanka among its people. The competition is aimed at inspiring children to participate in the development of the country, to raise confidence that they can make a difference and to motivate them to play a proactive role in the next era of development of the country.

Students from 2,600 schools including international schools participated in the final competition, of which 43 schools were selected as the finalists.

Each school was required to submit a team of eight students. The students were assigned to give a presentation in the form of dramas, songs and speeches on how they could be a part of country's development on the theme 'country first'. A panel of judges comprising independent personnel representing various fields judged the entries.

The final competition between the schools was held on 17th, 18th June 2010 at Visakha Vidyalaya Auditorium.