Parliamentary Scholarship Board Act 2002

This Act may be cited as the Parliamentary Scholarship

Board Act, No. 22 of 2002.

There shall be established for the purposes of this Act, a body to be called the Parliamentary Scholarship Board,

(hereinafter referred to as “the Board”) charged with the administration of the Act and the exercise, performance and discharge of the powers, duties and functions assigned to or conferred on the Board, by this Act.

The objectives of the Act shall be to promote international co-operation for educational advancement by providing for exchanges in higher education by financing studies, research, instructions and other educational activities and by making provision for the award of post-graduate scholarships —

The objectives of the Act as set out in subsection (1)

The fields of study in respect of which postgraduate awards may be made shall be determined by the Prime

The Prime Minister shall after consultation with the

The Board shall consist of —

The Prime Minister shall nominate one of the members appointed under paragraph (a) of subsection (1), as the

There shall be a Secretary to the Board, who shall be the Chief Administrative Officer of the Board and who shall be responsible for the implementation of all decisions of the

The term of office of the Chairman and the members appointed under paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) shall be three years calculated from the date of their appointment.

The Speaker may, prior to the expiration of the term of office specified above, remove from office, on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council, the Chairman or any member of the Board, for reasons assigned.

The Chairman or a member as the case may be, shall be eligible for re-appointment as Chairman or member, unless he has been removed from office in terms of subsection (2).

The Chairman and the members shall be paid such remuneration and allowances as may be determined by the

The Board may act notwithstanding any vacancy in its composition and accordingly no act or decision of the Board shall be invalidated by reason only of the existence of a vacancy among its members or any defect in the appointment of any member thereof.

The procedure to be followed in the conduct of the affairs of the Board and the conduct of the meetings of the

The Board shall have the power —

to exercise, perform and discharge the powers, duties and functions conferred on or assigned to it, by this

to award post-graduate scholarships to citizens of

to award post-graduate scholarships to citizens of foreign countries who obtained their first degree from an University or of a degree awarding institute abroad ;

to conduct orientation programmes, language training courses for persons to whom awards have been made under the Act ;

to provide other services out of the Fund of the

to evaluate every award periodically in order to increase the effectiveness of such programmes; and

to do all such acts as may be necessary or incidental to the exercise, performance and discharge of it’s powers, duties and functions under this Act.

The award of the Post-graduate scholarships by the Board shall be by way of a grant. The terms and conditions of such grant shall be embodied in a contract or an agreement entered into between the Board and the recipient of such award. The matters to be included in such contract or agreement shall be as prescribed.

The criteria to be followed by the Board in awarding the scholarships shall be determined in consultation with the

A grant made under subsection (1), shall include tution fees, cost of travel, charges for accommodation, daily subsistence rates as may be determined by the Board in consultation with the Minister in charge of the subject of

If the recipient of an award dies whilst pursuing the course of study, the necessary expenses for transporting the remains of such person to their places of residence shall be met by the Board.

The Board may also approve requests for any other unforeseen expenses by the recipient of a grant, upon the production to the Board of satisfactory proof in support of such request.

There shall be a Fund of the Board out of which all disbursements connected with the grant of scholarships shall be made and into which shall be paid—

all moneys voted by Parliament for the purposes of this Act;

all donations and grants, foreign or local, received by the Board ;

all other gifts by way of money.

The Board shall cause to be placed before Parliament for every calendar year, a report of the activities of the Board containing a statement of the scholarships awarded for such year and the funds utilised for the same.

The Prime Minister may make regulations for giving effect to the principles and provisions of this Act and for any matter required or authorized by this Act to be prescribed.

Without prejudice to the generality of the powers conferred by subsection (1), regulations may be made in respect of all or any of the following matters :—

Every regulation made under subsection (1) shall be published in the Gazette and shall come into operation on the date of such publication, or on such later date as may be specified in the regulation.

Every regulation made under subsection (1) shall as soon as convenient after its publication in the Gazette, be brought before Parliament for its approval. Any regulation which is not so approved shall be deemed to be rescinded as from the date of such disapproval but without prejudice to anything previously done thereunder.

Notification of the date on which any regulation is deemed to be so rescinded shall be published in the Gazette.

In this Act—

“Constitutional Council” means the Constitutional Council appointed under Chapter VIIA of the Constitution.

In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil texts of this Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.