Banking efficients to be recognised by BTI

Ganga Pradeepa

The Bankers' Training Institute's 12th Annual Convocation is scheduled to be held on October 3 at BMICH.

Acting Director General of IBSL, Ranjani S. Goonatilleke told to Daily News Business "At this Convocation, awards around 400 including certificates, diplomas, cash prizes and gold medals will be presented to those who have successfully completed IBSL professional examinations held in September 2006 and March 2007.

It is also customary for the Institute to recognise the outstanding contributions made by senior bankers to the banking industry by admitting them as Fellows or Honorary Fellows of the Institute."

Over the past 42 years, IBSL has come a long way and has a long way to go as well, which the Institute has clearly understood by recognising the responsibilities it has to shoulder as the only authorised institution, he said.

The Bankers' Training Institute (BTI) was created in January 1964 and began its actual functioning in late January 1964 by commencing short-term courses for selected groups of employees from each bank.

These short-term courses were initially conducted in English and Sinhala medium by a panel of lecturers selected from competent officers of the banks.

In 1964 the institute then known as BTI had started with a membership of around 900 and in 1989 it had risen to nearly 19,000 of which around 6,000 students sat for the institute's examinations.

In 1994, total membership increased to 24,630 in the course of the year ending March 1994. In 2007, the membership had risen to nearly 28,000 with an active membership of 12,500.

The chief guest for the occasion will be Dr. K. Ramakrishna, Chairman and Managing Director, Andhra Bank, India. The guests will be Vidya Jyothi Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera, Team Leader of ADB Funded Distance Education Modernization Project and former Vice Chancellor of University of Moratuwa and Open University.