Tale of a Fanatical Academic in Sri Lanka:

Professor Dayananda Somasundara:

Professor Herath Nandana Bandara

Felicitation of Dayananda Somasundara was held October 14, 2010 at the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Chief Guest Hon W J M Lokubandara Governor of the Sabaragamuwa Province.

Jayakody Wickramanayakalage Dayananda Somasundara, Senior Professor of Economics and Statistics, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Gombe State University, Nigeria and a senior most Economics teacher in the present university system in Sri Lanka, born in Kalawana of Ratnapura District on September 11, 1946. He started his primary schooling at the Kalawana Senior Sinhala Mixed School in 1952. After completing lower and upper kindergarten joined the Bowala Junior School at Gampola and studied there for two years.

Again, he joined the Kalawana Senior School in 1955 and continued his primary education upto the sixth standard. He passed the then much coveted Fifth Standard Scholarship Examination in 1957 and got admission to the Karawita Central College as a residential student in 1958. In the school he had a brilliant academic career and he obtained the first place in all the term tests continuously until the end of his school career in that school. He actively participated in all extracurricular activities in the school, sports, scouting, societies, community works and literary works. After successfully completing the General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level) in Science stream he was admitted to Ratnapura Sivali Central College for G C E Advanced Level/University Entrance class. In 1965 he passed the Vidyodaya University Entrance Examination and entered that University in September 1965.

The above performances reflects that Professor Somasundara can be considered as a true product of Dr C W W Kannangara’s free education system.

In the first year of the University he studied Economics, European History and Law. He passed the First Year Examination with high ranks in Economics and was selected to the Bachelor of Arts in Economics (Special) Degree Course.

He obtained his first degree, B A Hons in Economics majoring Accountancy from the then Vidyodaya University (presently University of Sri Jayawardenepura) in 1969 with a Second Class Upper Division pass. He had the privilege of studying under distinguished Economists, Accountants and academics. Prof D M Kannangara, Dr Wickrama Weerasooriya, Prof K A Munasinghe. Dr D Wisumperuma, Prof S Tilakaratne, Prof Kumari Jayawardana, Dr Neville Karunathilake (Central Bank), Dr A S Jayawardena (Central Bank), Prof Neil Dias Karunaratne, B R de Silva (Pioneer of BR de Silva Co.) A Welaratne (Chartered Accountant) were some of them.

Professor Somasundara read for his Master’s Degree in Economics, majoring Agricultural Economics at the University of New England in Australia. Prof Gwyn James, Prof Brian Hardaker, Prof Warren F Musgrave, Prof John Dillon and Prof John Guise were some of his teachers at the University of New England. He successfully completed his Master of Economics (M Ec) in 1976. He was awarded a Ph D by the Open International University in 1998. Having considered his contributions to the field of Economics he was awarded a D Sc Degree by the University of Dublin. He has obtained a Ph D in Indigenous Community Studies from Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka in 2008. That was his first Ph D research entitled “Social and Economics Changes from Primitive Societies to Modern Societies (An Analysis of Selected Communities in Africa)” produced by that University and it was considered as one of the best among the kind.

Professor Somasundara’s first academic appointment was at the then Vidyodaya University of Ceylon (now Sri Jayewardenepura University) where he hailed from fabulous rank to the other-Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor from 1970 to 1992. At Sri Jayewardenepura University, he has served in various academic and administrative positions. Some of the positions held by Prof Somasundara were Student Counselor, Warden, Senior Treasurer of the Economics Students’ Society, Head of the Department of Economics and Program Coordinator of the B Sc Economics Program. He was also a member of the statutory boards such as Supplies Committee, Welfare Committee, Tender Boards, Departmental Board, Faculty Board, Faculty Sub-Committees, Senate and University Court.

To be continued