EDUCATION

LAMDA appoints Lanka representative

LAMDA Examinations, the Awarding Body arm of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, has taken steps to improve and widen its services to Sri Lankan schools, teachers and students by appointing a new Sri Lanka representative, Aroshi Jayasinghe.

LAMDA examinations have been growing in popularity in Sri Lanka over the last few years. The new arrangement, in addition to providing more support to those who are already involved with LAMDA examinations, will provide opportunities for more teachers and pupils island-wide to develop their communication and dramatic art skills.

LAMDA is recognised worldwide for being one of the leading drama schools in the English speaking world and for conducting the most eminent set of public examinations in its sector.

In British theatre and television, many cast lists include LAMDA alumni. Many students studying in independent schools, State schools and private performing arts schools in the UK have the opportunity to take LAMDA examinations, including the Grade eight exams, which are recognised for entrance to UK universities.

In fact, UCAS points are available for examinations at Grade six, seven and eight, to assist in entering UK universities.

LAMDA is dedicated to the creative, intellectual and social development of the individual as a whole. It is for this reason that LAMDA has become the largest Speech and Drama Awarding Body in the United Kingdom.

Its examinations also have a reputation for excellence worldwide, so candidates can measure their progress against an internationally applied standard.

LAMDA Examinations is accredited as an Awarding Body by The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the corresponding regulatory authorities in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Among many initiatives planned for Sri Lanka are teacher workshops by visiting British specialists, curriculum support to schools, new qualifications and two examination cycles a year.

LAMDA is also pleased to launch the LAMDA Teacher’s Certificate in Communication (LTCC), a specialist qualification for teachers, which has been designed to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding required to teach introductory communication skills and speech to young children and adults.

Aroshi’s e-mail is [email protected]
 

ICBT expands to SAARC and ME regions

Hiran H. Senewiratne

International College of Business and Technology Limited (ICBT) claiming to be the fastest growing educational institution in the country is planning to expand its centres in SAARC countries and the Middle Eastern regions.

ICBT offers diploma to doctorate level on 15 educational disciplines from leading universities from the United Kingdom, Australia, Thailand and India for local students at an affordable cost especially for middle and lower middle class families in Sri Lanka, its Executive Director/CEO Mohan Pathirana said

He said the most fascinating factor is that all their programmes have 100 per cent employability and not a single person is unemployed.

Further, all their educational programmes are embedded with social responsibility projects. The leading mobile service provider Dialog Telekom is the intelligent partner of the company, he said.

They also have signed MoUs with leading companies including Virtusa, MAS Holdings, HSBC to offer their placements for their graduates, he said.

Further, many Middle Eastern companies also recruits their students straight after the graduation, he said. Pathirana said Maniple University is one of the most popular MBA programmes formulated for Sri Lankan requirements.

The Executive Director also said most of their programmes like the Quantity Survey programme is the most sought after qualification in Dubai, which right now has more than 5000 employment opportunities.

Therefore, currently 300-400 students are following the programme at ICBT campus. ICBT is a British Council accredited institution for IELTS exams.

ICBT is also representing the Royal Institute of Chartered Survey and it is approved by the Institute of Quantity Survey in Sri Lanka.

Pathirana said they are also in the process of starting few engineering programmes including electronic, mechanical, civil and many more.

ICBT also conducts high end IT training programmes on CISCO and JAVA. It is also an awarding body for EDEXCEL.

ICBT is a member of Ceylinco Consolidated headed by the Dean of the Faculty Prof.W.M. Sirisena from the University of Peradeniya.

Book of research

The scholastic publication titled “Sinhala Puwathpath Welanda Denveem Aarambhaya saha Vikashanaya” (The origin and evolution of advertisements in Sinhala newspapers) authored by Dr. Nihal Ranjith Jayathilake, who is an Assistant General Manager of the People’s Bank as well as an author and a Free Lance Journalist, will be launched at 4 p.m. on August 27 at the Auditorium of the Sri Lanka National Library Service Board.

In compiling this book, 77 mainstream Sinhala newspapers from “Lanka Lokaya” published in 1860 and considered as the first Sinhala newspaper in the country and functions of the D.R. Wijewardene’s “Dinamina” newspaper up to the year 1916 (56 years), have been comprehensively scrutinised to pragmatise the contents in an explicit manner.

Dr. Jayathilake asserts that this book subsumes an investigatory study pertinent to socio-economic trends that impacted upon the Sinhala newspaper Advertisements, very early English newspaper advertisements that paved the way for advertisements to appear in Sinhala newspapers, contents and structural features of the mainstream Sinhala newspaper advertisements, during the 1860-1916 era.

Thus this book provides an outstanding in-depth contribution to the academicians who study “Mass Communication” with a wealth of knowledge streamed on language used by the early Sinhala newspapers, structure, columns settings, headings, contents, creativity and if it were direct translations of English versions or otherwise.

A special feature of the book is the sub-edition additionally included with supplementary inputs on the beginning and expansion of advertisements in global newspapers.

Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Venerable Professor Bellanwila Wimalarathana Thera will preside over the launching ceremony of this book.

Professor Sunanda Mahendra and Professor Ganganath Dissanayake will deliver brief discourses on this publication. Head of the Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura Dr. Praneeth Abhayasundera will compere the programme.

Chairman of the People’s Bank W. Karunajeewa will the Chief Guest. People’s Bank are sponsors of this event.

‘Youth employment issues’ training DVD launched

International Alert Sri Lanka has produced the “A Good Job” training DVD and instruction guide in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Youth Employment Network (YEN), with the technical producer Young Asia Television.

The DVD package derives from the TV debate series conducted in all three languages and telecast earlier this year on Rupavahini, ETV and TNL channels.

With active studio audiences and discussion panels comprising young development activists and youth leaders, business people and industrialists who look to youth as the labour pool, and government planners and experts, the TV series opened up a lively debate on this hot topic.

The whole range of issues and aspects of the problem were examined and debated, with key issues identified and even some lesser known related problems highlighted publicly during these debates.

A high quality training software for all trainers produced by YA-TV, the DVD comes with a detailed instruction guide for users.

The DVD Pack was launched in Colombo on August 15, at the Hotel Taj Samudra. The keynote address was by Country Director, International Labour Organisation Tine Staermose.