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The University of Peradeniya, established on July 1, 1942, is one of the oldest Universities in the country. It is located 8 kms from the sacred city of Kandy on a picturesque site bordering the Mahaweli River. In terms of the student intake, number of faculties and institutes, qualified staff and infrastructural facilities including laboratories, the University of Peradeniya is the largest University in Sri Lanka.

Established under the able leadership of Sir Ivor Jennings, the first Vice Chancellor of the university has progressed to keep up with similar institutions around the world. The Peradeniya University has now become a prototype model in the Sri Lankan higher education system.

Driven by the quest to become a centre of excellence in higher education, research and scholarship to train competent, creative and skilled graduates who will meet the social demands of a rapidly changing national and global environment, the University of Peradeniya has expanded considerably over the past 58 years, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

respected

Today it is indeed regarded as a respected and recognized centre of learning both nationally and internationally.

Over the years, the number of faculties has increased from 4 to 7 to include the Faculties of Agriculture, Arts, Dental Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, Science and Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science. The eighteen Departments of Study at the inception has now increased to 62 to encompass a wide range of study areas ranging from liberal arts, basic sciences to applied sciences in agriculture, engineering, dental, medicine and veterinary sciences.

Two teaching hospitals, several centers and units have also been established to perform specific academic and outreach functions. The seven faculties have complement of well qualified academic staff, numbering approximately 1100 with more than a quarter of them possessing postgraduate degrees.

student population

The undergraduate student population has increased from 904 in 1942 to well over 8000 in 2001. In addition, there are about 10,000 students following external degree programmes in liberal Arts.

The University has also developed centres of excellence for research and postgraduate level training in most disciplines. Two national level postgraduate institutes for Agriculture and Science have also been established at the University of Peradeniya.

These institutes with a considerable degree of autonomy in the University system, offer postgraduate degrees in a wide range of disciplines. Besides these two postgraduate institutes, several faculties offer postgraduate degrees leading to a masters or a doctorate.

Over the past 10 years the University of Peradeniya has awarded 948 postgraduate degrees and at present well over 1000 students have enrolled for postgraduate degrees in the two postgraduate institutes and faculties. During the last 10 years, University of Peradeniya has recorded the largest number research publications in local and international journals, in proceedings of symposia and scientific conventions. Of these a total of 360 publications have been listed in citation indices.

well-equipped

The University also has well-equipped and spacious sports complexes consisting of a gymnasium, outdoor facility for track and field events, swimming pool and cricket, rugby and hockey grounds. It is also the largest residential campus with 10 large and 4 medium size hostels for student accommodation. At present more than 80% of the students reside on campus.

The highly developed infrastructural facilities, trained academic staff, well equipped laboratories and specialized units such as libraries, computer centres, gymnasium, hospitals etc placed among the salubrious hills of the Kandy district makes the Peradeniya University one of the most intellectuality stimulating environments for the pursuit of knowledge.

The faculties of the University have also made several links with other local and foreign universities, research centres, industrial and non-governmental organizations and local interest groups to foster its education, research and outreach activities.

The links

The links, with 'world of work' are directed to strengthen the training as well as to match the training with 'market' needs. Under the on-going university reforms, peradeniya University is presently implementing considerable academic and structural changes.

In these reforms, the central role of the University for providing life-long learning to meet the diverse demands of students and employers have well been recognized. To meet these diverse demands, reforms are being implemented together with the inclusion of new subjects into the curricula, to develop new degree programmes and to make flexible courses through a semester-based-system. Human resource development and infrastructure development programmes are in progress. Structural changes are in place in order to develop a dynamic and administrative management systems and a monitoring system.

The convocation planned for the 15th December 2001 is a testimony to continuous efforts of the University of Peradeniya to be a canter of higher learning.

The convocation will confer a total of 2031 degrees which will included 3 honourary degrees (1 DSc and 2 D. Lith.), 237 postgraduate degrees (7 PhD, 41 MPhil, 74 MA, 104 MSc & 11 MBA degrees) and 1971 bachelors degrees (662 BA, 26 B.Com., 186 BSc (Agriculture), 313 BSc (Engineering), 192 BSc (Science), 71 BDS, 192 MBBS, and 70 BVSc degrees).

In keeping with the high standards that the University of Peradeniya aspires to achieve the Senate and the Council of University of Peradeniya has decided to confer three honourary degrees at the convocation to three outstanding personalities namely, His Excellency, Gopalakrishna Gndhi, High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka, Prof Peter Shawa Ashton, World-renowned, Tropical Biologist and the former Arnold Professor of Botany and Professor of Dendrology at Harvard University, USA and Dr. Siran Upendra Deraniyagala, the Director General of Archaeology.

honourary degree

His Excellency Gopalakrishna Gandhi holds a B.A. Honours Degree and an M.A. Degree in English Literature. hailed as an eminent diplomat, he is currently serving his second stint in Sri Lanka.

The University of Peradeniya has decided to confer an honourary degree to His Excellency Gopalakrishna Gandhi in recognition of his diplomatic skills, scholarly and creative work as a novelist and a playwright and his affection to Sri Lanka and to its people. His outstanding contribution extends from supervision of implementation Indo-Ceylon Agreement in 1964 to relieving perennial problems arising from the unintended breaches in the Palk Straits of the boundary established by the Maritime Agreement of 1974 and helping along the peace negotiations over the on-going war with Norwegian involvement.

Prof Peter Shawa Ashton, is a world-renowned tropical biologist and holds a BSc and a PhD. He was an appointed Professor at Harvard University, USA from 1978 to 1989 where he held the multiple posts of the Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Arnold Professor of Botany and Professor of Dendrology.

Subsequently, he was a Faculty Fellow of the Harvard Institute of International Development between 1990-2000 and was the Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry from 1991-1999. University of Peradeniya conferred an honorary degree in recognition of his contribution to the ecology, conservation and sustainable management of tropical forests, and his continued dedication to promote research and in-country capacity building in forest ecology in South and South-eastern Asian region.

Dr. Siran Upendra Deraniyagala, Director General of Archaeology holds BA, MA and PhD degrees in Archaeology. Has joined the Archaeological Survey Department in 1968 as an Assistant Commissioner in Charge of scientific excavation and rose to the post of Director General of the Archaeological Department.

University of Peradeniya conferred an honorary degree in recognition of his contribution epoch-breaking excavation at the Citadel of Anuradhapura, systematic reinvestigation of the prehistoric technology and culture of Sri Lanka and preparing an agenda for restructuring theoretical and applied management archaeology at a professional level.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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