ComBank supports preschool education in Sri Lanka in collaboration with UNICEF

Demonstrating its continuing commitment to education, the Commercial Bank of Ceylon recently handed over the fully refurbished Muthukumarana Preschool at Madagama in the Monaragala District, under a partnership with UNICEF to uplift the standard of preschool education in Sri Lanka.

The handover marks the successful completion of the Bank’s contribution to the UNICEF-led project titled ‘Reaching the most marginalized with quality preschool education – Enabling all children in Sri Lanka to play, learn, and reach their full potential.’ This initiative focuses on enhancing access to safer, more equitable, and quality early learning environments for children in remote communities.

Present at the ceremony from Commercial Bank were the Regional Manager – Uva Sabaragamuwa Region, Mr Chamenda Kalugamage, and the Branch Manager – Monaragala, Mr Upali Marasinghe. Representing UNICEF were the Chief of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, Mr Bismarck Swangin, and the Education Officer, Mr Sugath Adikaram.

Commercial Bank’s contribution enabled the complete refurbishment of the school’s physical infrastructure and the provision of quality furniture and age-appropriate learning materials, creating a child-friendly environment conducive to learning through play.

The broader objectives of the project include improving the quality of preschool education through capacity building for teachers, increasing awareness among parents and caregivers, and strengthening collaboration with local and national stakeholders to ensure sustainability.

This effort builds on UNICEF’s work since 2022 in partnership with the Provincial Offices of Uva and Central, which has already supported the rehabilitation of 40 preschools in underserved regions. Commercial Bank’s involvement is an example of private-public collaboration to address educational disparities in early childhood.

Education remains a key pillar of Commercial Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy. To date, the Bank has donated 386 IT laboratories to schools across all 25 districts of Sri Lanka, supported the establishment of 180 STEM-focused classrooms, and played a leading role in the national Smart Schools initiative, which equipped 165 schools with digital learning infrastructure. The Bank’s “Sipnena” online education portal provides digitised school curriculum content, including practical videos and interactive materials, to enhance digital learning accessibility.

Commercial Bank is the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and has the highest market capitalisation in the Banking Sector in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). The Bank is the largest private sector lender, the largest lender to the SME sector, is a leader in digital innovation and is Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank.

Commercial Bank operates a strategically located network of branches and automated machines island-wide, and has the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 20 outlets in Bangladesh, a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake in the Maldives, and a Microfinance company in Myanmar. The Bank recently opened a representative office within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), taking a significant step towards broadening its global footprint. The Bank’s fully owned subsidiary CBC Finance Ltd. also delivers a range of financial services via its own branch network.