Scholarships for tsunami affected

A. W. Gunawardhana, Matara central corr.

MATARA: A ceremony was held recently at the Auditorium Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Ruhuna-Meddawatta-Matara to give away scholarships, organised by Computer Science and Computer unit of Ruhuna University Science Faculty Deen Prof. R. N. Pathirana.

While appreciating the support, extended by Industrial and Financial System Company in the project, he said that Technology Scholarship (RILTS) Programme was one of the very appropriate and valuable scholarship programmes for the young tsunami affected community in the Southern region.

He welcomed the projects to award about 300 scholarships to the value of Rs. 4 million. The award included 25 computers and other additional IT equipments to the Department of Computer Science by IFS to conduct this course. The Department of Computer Science has also been able to open a new computer laboratory with this support, he said.

These facilities can be utilized for the proposed training programmes under this project as well as for undergraduate programmes of the Faculty of Science. Therefore this programme not only provides education for the tsunami affected community but also to the undergraduates of the Ruhuna University. We should be grateful to the IFS, Colombo and the Department of Computer Science for launching this project.

I am aware the IFS - conducted a training programme in software engineering for 15 graduates who followed Computer Science as a subject and recruited seven of them permanently to work at IFS.

I express my gratitude to the IFS for continuing the link with the Department of Computer Science for the benefit of our graduates and community of this region even though they are located in Colombo.

Speaking about the Department of Computer Science (DCS), Department of Computer Science and Ruhuna University Computer Unit (RUCU) he said they were very important entities within Ruhuna University. They conduct many courses to the students in the Faculty of Science and provide various services and IT solution to the whole community in the university.

They are providing this valuable work despite their many difficulties. Once we have a spacious building we will be able to expand our services and academic programmes for an additional number of students internally and externally. He commended the service rendered by the young staff of the Department.

I understand that, the Department of Computer Science does all these social welfare work under a very tight and busy academic schedule in the faculty, efficiently managing the time without disrupting the academic work. It caters to all the Biological and Physical Science students in the Faculty of Science with various undergraduate academic programs.

Professor Ranjith Senarathna, Vice Chancellor University of Ruhuna Jonas Bridgwater, Managing Director IFS-Colombo, Sajith Peiris, Software Engineering Director IFS Colombo also spoke.

Welcome address was made by S. A. S. Lorensuhewa, Head of the Department of Computer Science.