PGIS inaugurates degree programme in disaster management

by L.B. Wijayasiri in Kandy

For the first time in Sri Lanka's history an M.Sc degree programme in Disaster Management was inaugurated as a result of deliberations by Parliamentary select committee on Disaster Management and the visits of its members in Australia and in few other countries, Director, Post Graduate Institute of Science (PGIS) Peradeniya University Professor Lakshman Dissanayake said at the ceremonial inauguration of three M.Sc programmes.

The chief guest at the inauguration ceremony was the Australian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Dr. Greg French. Associated with him were Director PGIS Professor Lakshman Dissanayake, Dean Faculty of Science Professor V. Kumar, head of the Geology Department and acting chairman of board of study in Earth Sciences Professor Kapila Dahanayake, Acting Dean of Faculty of Engineering and the head of the Department of Civil Engineering Professor Nihal Somaratne, Chairman Board of Study in Plant Science-Professor N.K.B. Adikaram and programme coordinator Dr. N.C. Bandara.

Professor Dissanayake added that the parliamentary select committee has visited Australia to study the disaster management activities there.

New M.Sc. programmes, one in diaster management, the other on medical microbiology and the third on water resource management would be conducted by eminent resource persons drawn from Sri Lanka, Australia, Indonasia, Philippines, the Netherlands, Thailand and United States.

Out of 100 applicants 40 have been selected to follow the disaster management programme and doctors, engineers, teachers and even army personel were among them. Disaster management post graduate course would be conducted jointly with the faculty of Engineering.

It was formulated by a team headed by Professor Kapila Dahanayake, head of the Geology department. M.Sc. programme on water resources management too would be of significantly beneficial to Sri Lanka, he said.

Australian High Commissioner Dr. Greg French who thanked the organisers for having invited him to be the chief guest on that occasion said that three very important post graduate programmes were inaugurated on that day of which the M.Sc. programme in disaster management would be of immence help to Sri Lanka who suffered by recent tsunami. He was happy that Australia was able to play a significant role in formulating the post graduate degree programme on that subject. He also emphasised the importance of the M.Sc. programme on Water Resources Management.

Head of the Department of Geology Professor Kapila Dahanayake said that he was the only nonparliamentary delegate participated in study tour in Australia and other countries.

During their visit to Australia, the idea of M.Sc. in Disaster Management was originated. Sri Lanka was benefitted a lot by their study tour in those countries by way of collecting knowledge and information in emergency disaster management process practised in those countries. At the Emergency Management in Australia (EMA) Canberra where they studied the emergency situations were handled by Australian authorities.

Dr. Nihal Somaratne Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Prof. V. Kumar, Dean, Faculty of Science, Professor N.K.B. Adikaram, Chairman Board of Study Plant Sciences, and Dr. N.C. Bandara programme coordinator, PGIS also spoke.