O/L ISLAND FIFTH SAHAN'S GUTSY STORY

The O/L student who is unable to operate the laptop the President gave, without electricity  

The story of Sahan who clinched fifth place with the aid of a bottle-lamp, in a house with galvanized roofing

     Not even those of the school knew that Sahan Lakshitha who came 5th in Sri Lanka according to results at the last O/L studied under a bottle-lamp light, living in a poor house in Ratnapura with only a galvanized roof and with no electricity.

     Though he was called to President's House and was gifted with a laptop, there had been no electricity in the house to operate it. He lives in Karavita in Polwatta area. His house is located in a small strip of land in a row of houses where Tamil labourers live and which borders Kiriellawatta. The roof  is covered with galvanized sheets and the walls rest on wooden posts which is covered with wax sheets. Sahan's father has no employment. He is sickly. The mother is employed as a casual worker in a factory. Sahan Lakshitha Wijewantha initially went to Primary College and passed the scholarship with 176 marks and then entered St.Aloysius College. he was a bright student of St.Aloysius College in Ratnapura in Ratnapura. It was said that he was a disciplined and bright student in college and not a prankster. These are the ideas he expressed to the media on his success:
                               "It was a great happiness to come 5th in the whole of Sri Lanka. I believe that the biggest reason for the success is the poverty with which we were born. I say so after seeing the suffering my mother and father undergo to look after me and my 2 younger sisters. It was the efforts and determination I took to pursue my studies to release them from this burden that actually brought positive results.

   There's no electricity in our house. It was with the light of the bottle-lamp that I studied in the night. But that also is possible only till the oil lasts. Sometimes the oil is over and studies stop.
   Our area is an area which has the highest rainfall. It always rains. Drops of rain seep through the roof. When it rains, it's so difficult to stay in the house. On rainy days all my studies come to a standstill.But still I persevered. I made use of the daytime as much as possible.

  Sahan's next wish is to succeed at the next A/L. He likes to select Bio-science. He says that somehow he would become a doctor and see to his younger sisters' education.

  Sahan who his true state of affairs from the teachers and the principal is truly a courageous student. The principal had been informed that upon hearing of his efforts, a large number of people have come forward to provide him with a house and educational assistance. Student Lakshitha who proved that anybody who engages in education with effort and courage as he does, could receive a place in the country.
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