Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak – Scholarship Paper Distribution 2025

We’re happy to share that the Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak team successfully completed the distribution of scholarship practice books for 2025!

📘 600 question paper books were printed this time, but due to transportation difficulties, we were unable to reach schools outside the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts. Also, we couldn’t include Tamil medium schools this year, as we did not receive Tamil question papers in time.

📦 In total, 550 books were distributed among schools already part of our “PiKu PiHi” program. Another 50 books were handed over yesterday (June 18) to three extremely remote schools in Dimbulagala.

📍 Why do we go this far?

Some of these schools have fewer than 10 students, and in some places, there are only 2 or 3 children in a grade. It might seem easier to teach such small groups, but when it comes to competitive exams like the Grade 5 Scholarship Exam, the challenge is real.

In such environments, teachers often have to artificially create a sense of competition within the classroom to prepare children mentally. The best student in a tiny school has no peer pressure to improve—and that’s where the struggle begins.

But some of these teachers go the extra mile:

📚 Organising group discussions with nearby schools

💬 Preparing the kids with seminars

📖 Using our model question books to encourage practice

These are the kids who, against all odds, earn the highest marks and secure places in top urban schools. Their wings are built on education—nothing else.

But we know this, too:

💔 The pressure on a 10-year-old sitting for a national exam is massive.

Most would agree—it’s too much, too soon. But within our system, this exam still becomes the gateway to a more stable academic future for many underprivileged children.

That’s why we keep standing behind them.

📚 “Pirunu Kusak Pirunu Hisak” means a nourished stomach, a nourished mind, and we try our best to live by that.

🙏 Thank You to Our Pillars of Support

Mr. Winsara Samarasinghe, for once again providing all model papers free of charge for printing.

Neth Printers, for printing 600 books at a very reasonable rate and handling the distribution with transparency.

All the school principals, especially those who travelled long distances from remote villages to collect books for their students.

The dedicated Grade 5 teachers who continue to use these books to prepare their students and help them aim higher.

And finally, to our kind-hearted donors, the soul of the PiKu PiHi movement—thank you for always believing in us.

🎯 What’s Next?

Our next major step is the Scholarship Seminar 2025, scheduled for August.

This seminar will reach even the smallest schools in the most isolated corners, where 3 or 4 children wait for someone to remember them.

We are already getting ready for round three.