MAS Holdings Marks 20 Years of Eco Go Beyond, Reaching 377,000 Students Across 250 Schools

MAS Holdings Marks 20 Years of Eco Go Beyond, Reaching 377,000 Students Across 250 Schools

Photograph: An Eco Go Beyond awards ceremony. Credit: Lanka Business News and MAS Holdings.

MAS Holdings is marking 20 years of its Eco Go Beyond Sustainable Schools Programme, an initiative that has reached more than 377,000 students across 250 schools in Sri Lanka. Over two decades, the programme has worked to make sustainability education relevant to young people by connecting classroom learning with the challenges and possibilities found in their schools and communities.

The milestone, reported by Lanka Business News on 19 October 2026, reflects a long-term commitment to education and community participation. Alongside students, the programme has engaged educators, families and communities, recognising that the habits and decisions shaping a sustainable future are developed not only in lessons, but also through everyday life.

From sustainability awareness to practical action

Eco Go Beyond was launched in 2006 in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education. Its founding premise was that education could play a powerful part in shaping a more sustainable future.

Working with schools in communities connected to MAS, the programme has sought to move beyond awareness alone. Its approach encourages students to understand sustainability challenges, consider their own role in addressing them and turn what they learn into action. In doing so, the initiative links broader environmental and social concerns with the places and experiences familiar to young people.

Over the past two decades, Eco Go Beyond has developed alongside changes in the global sustainability agenda and the evolving needs of students, communities, Sri Lanka and the planet. Its approach has progressed from school-based learning towards student-led projects intended to make a meaningful difference at community level. The programme also aims to build knowledge, confidence and agency among the next generation.

That combination matters: students are not treated solely as recipients of information, but as participants who can identify issues around them and help shape practical responses. When learning is connected to everyday life, sustainability becomes less abstract and more readily understood as a shared responsibility.

The image below is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a specific Eco Go Beyond project.

AI-generated illustration. Image includes eLanka branding and the label “AI generated based on source image”.

A collective effort across generations

The programme’s anniversary also places emphasis on the people and institutions that have sustained its work. Teachers and school leaders help bring learning into classrooms; students contribute ideas and effort; and families and communities can support initiatives beyond school grounds. Such participation helps explain why long-term education programmes depend on more than a curriculum: they require continued commitment from the people involved.

Suren Fernando, Chief Executive Officer of MAS Holdings, said:

> ‘Building a more sustainable future requires us to invest not only in the solutions of today, but in the people who will shape what comes next. Through the Eco Go Beyond sustainable schools programme, MAS remains committed to nurturing a generation of young people in Sri Lanka and beyond who have the knowledge, confidence and sense of responsibility to lead meaningful change.’

Amanthi Perera, Director – Sustainable Business at MAS Holdings, who has been involved in Eco Go Beyond from its beginnings, reflected on the shared commitment behind its longevity:

> ‘Twenty years is a significant milestone, but what stands out most is the collective commitment that has made it possible. Eco Go Beyond has endured because decision-makers, educators, students, parents and communities have continued to believe that sustainability education matters and have rallied around that purpose. The impact is not only in the number of young people we have reached, but in the ideas, choices and actions they have carried forward into their own lives and communities.’

Her remarks point to a broader measure of impact than participation figures alone. The reach of more than 377,000 students across 250 schools provides a substantial record of scale, while the programme’s stated focus also includes the ideas and actions students carry into their own lives and communities.

Learning rooted in local experience

At the heart of Eco Go Beyond is the principle that sustainability education is most meaningful when connected to everyday experience. Students are encouraged to identify challenges within their schools and communities, then consider practical ways to respond. This can help make complex subjects more tangible and encourage learners to see how local action relates to wider environmental and social priorities.

The programme has also refreshed its content and delivery over time to remain relevant as those priorities emerge and change. That capacity to adapt is important for an initiative spanning two decades: the underlying purpose can remain consistent, while the subjects, teaching approaches and community needs continue to evolve.

For Sri Lankan students, this kind of learning can help connect education with the places in which they live, study and build relationships. For Sri Lankans living abroad, the programme offers a positive example of sustained investment in the country’s young people and in education that reaches beyond individual classrooms. It is a story with relevance to the global Sri Lankan community because it centres on shared hopes for the next generation and the communities they will help shape.

Looking towards a third decade

As Eco Go Beyond enters its third decade, MAS says it will continue developing the programme in response to emerging sustainability challenges. The next stage will build on its established emphasis on participation, practical learning and the development of students’ knowledge, confidence and sense of responsibility.

The programme’s 20-year milestone is therefore both a record of past reach and an opportunity to consider what sustained corporate commitment to education can mean. By supporting learning that encourages young people to understand challenges and take part in local responses, Eco Go Beyond has sought to connect sustainability principles with community life.

Its reported reach across 250 schools demonstrates the scale of the initiative; its continuing work will be judged by how effectively it remains relevant to students and communities in the years ahead. For Sri Lanka, nurturing young people who are equipped to think critically and act constructively is an investment in a more sustainable future.

Source: https://www.lankabusinessnews.com/mas-marks-20-years-of-sustainability-leadership-through-eco-go-beyond-sustainable-schools-programme/
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