Plantation Sector Welfare Transforms as Record University Admissions Mark Milestone 📈

Significant socio-economic advancements across Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) are reshaping human capital development in Sri Lanka's tea and plantation communities. • Higher Education Gains: Nearly 250 youth from plantation families gained university admission over the past two years—the highest cohort on record. The 2024–2025 entry spans 35 Arts, 22 Commerce/Management, 6 ICT, 4 Medicine, 4 Engineering, and 2 Law degrees, among others. • Welfare & Education Infrastructure: Primary school enrollment has reached 100%, with 2–3% pursuing higher education. Modern Child Development Centers (CDCs) have systematically replaced informal "Pulle Madu" spaces, backed by an annual RPC investment of ~LKR 720 Mn. • Scholarship Support: The "Roots to Wings" scheme, costing LKR 10–15 Mn annually, provides startup funding, laptops, and housing continuity for undergraduate students. Literacy rates in targeted areas climbed from 40% to 84%. • Health Indicators: • Infant mortality fell from 18.3 to 4.65 per 1,000 live births (1992–present). • Under-5 mortality declined from 42.6 to 6.26 per 1,000 live births. • Maternal mortality plummeted from 150 per 100,000 live births to near zero. • Stillbirths dropped from 40 to under 5 per 1,000 deliveries.