EDUCATION

ICASL commences new intake

For Australian MBA programme:

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL), is offering the country’s ambitious professionals the opportunity to follow a prestigious Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree in partnership with the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), a leading Australian university.

With registrations now open for the next semester commencing in July 2011, the USQ MBA is seen as a gateway for professionals to achieve their highest professional ambitions in today’s competitive world where both academic and professional qualifications are deemed essential to succeed in one’s career goals.

In 2004, the ICASL, which has been the pioneer of chartered accountancy education in the country, together with USQ commenced offering the postgraduate degree programme for Sri Lankans, and almost seven years since, the USQ MBA has been recognized as a prestigious qualification with approximately 300 students seen following the MBA during a single semester at any given time.

Infused with tremendous flexibility, students following the MBA are given upto six years to complete the postgraduate course, although on average, majority of students complete the degree within a two years period.

USQ’s Student Experience Director, Lorne Gibson, who was recently in Sri Lanka, said that the primary reason the university provides such flexibility to its students was because most students who follow the degree are professionals, who are subjected to various forms of pressures, work and otherwise.

“Most students who are professionals have work pressure and also family commitments, etc. and studying an MBA needs commitment and it is challenging, and one cannot rush through such a course, that way the end result would not be satisfactory, hence we give flexibility to students, allowing them to take their time and finish it within a stipulated yet flexible timeline,” he said.

Incidentally, the MBA offered at the ICASL, has a diverse student population following and does not limit to financial professionals only. Professionals from the fields of management, marketing and information and technology are also following this post graduate course.

The flexible entry pathway to follow the MBA is yet another added advantage to those interested to follow a MBA degree but without an undergraduate qualification.

Gibson said that USQ has focused on getting students to interact proactively when studying for the degree, unlike in a conventional class environment where interacting with a lecturer is minimal and often students only take down notes.

“At USQ we don’t only focus on theory but also take studying to the next level, providing a platform for better interactions for students, ensuring they are heavily involved with research and also allowing them to increase their knowledge on soft skills. Our aim is to ensure that at the end of the course, students should be able to carry out everything clearly articulated in the course,” Gibson noted.

The MBA also helps a student take better stock of the organization around him, apart from helping a student improve his or her communication style, students following the USQ MBA are also instilled with better understanding on how their counterparts work, the importance of organizational behaviour, thereby building them professionally and helping them understand their surroundings which ultimately makes them better team players.

Gibson assured that the USQ MBA offered in Sri Lanka were of the same standards offered in his country.

He said that USQ follows a strict quality control and even the lecturers hired by the university are selected after a thorough procedure and often the teachers are former USQ students themselves.

“Even the grading is done under the same basis carried out in Australia, so there is no disparity at any level with regard to the course offered in Sri Lanka or any other country outside Australia,” he said.

IGNOU launches online programmes in Chinese

The Indira Gandhi National Open University’s (IGNOU’s) School of Foreign Languages (SOFL) has launched a diploma programme to learn Chinese language in both face-to-face and online mode along with a certificate programme in Chinese language through online mode for July 2011 session.

This is for the first time in India that the teaching of Chinese language and culture will be imparted through online demonstration via IGNOU satellite. The online programmes are especially meant for those business schools in Delhi and outside Delhi which would like to introduce this programme to their B-School students. Under this scheme, study materials, teaching and holding examinations will be held through online mode.

The Diploma in Chinese language and Culture (DCLC) is a one year programme which can be completed in maximum two years duration with no entrance test.

ICMA Australia graduation held in Sri Lanka

The Institute of Certified Management Accountants (ICMA) Australia held its first graduation ceremony recently at the Galle Face Hotel among a group of distinguished guests and invitees. International Monetary Cooperation Senior Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama, ICMA Australia Chief Executive Officer Leon Duval, ICMA Australia Chair Education Committee Professor Janek Ratnatunga, Chair Sri Lanka Branch - Dr Nalaka Godahewa, Sri Lanka Branch President Murali Prakash and Sri Lanka Branch CEO Kapila Dodamgoda were present on the occasion.

The graduands included entrepreneurs, CEOs, Managing Directors, Directors, General Managers, Consultants and Senior Executives of large corporates and multinationals. They hold professional, bachelors or masters level qualifications in marketing, engineering, law, human resources and finance. Ninety graduands of three batches from years 2008 to 2010 were conferred their memberships in different categories on this occasion.

Seventy-five Certified Management Accountants (CMA), fourteen Associate Management Accountants (AMA) and one Graduate Management Accountant were awarded their certificates.

“ICMA Australia’s contribution to the economy is extremely valuable as it trains and educates high calibre multidisciplinary professionals to take the economy forward at this critical juncture of the country. The private sector plays a pivotal role in the national economy, and we look forward to more investment from the private sector and at a faster pace,” said Dr Amunugama.

“Today’s managers should be able to think out of the box. They not only report value but also create significant value for the organizations that they work in” said Professor Janek Ratnatunga. “The curricula of ICMA Australia helps to mould professionals who are capable of making significant contributions towards creating value,” he said.

Dr Amunugama was awarded an honorary foundation membership of ICMA Australia by ICMA Australia CEO Leon Duval for his outstanding contribution to the economy at this event. This award will be made annually by ICMA Australia to a distinguished personality at national level.

“The qualification improved my financial literacy significantly and helped me to ascend the corporate ladder. I now understand the power of numbers in managing a business. CMA (Australia) qualification is a one time investment for lifetime success,” said Hemas Manufacturing Director Supply Chain Canisius Fernando who was conferred the CMA membership at the graduation.

ICMA Australia is a fast growing accounting body in Australia with an increasing membership in Australia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Lebanon, UAE and Sri Lanka.

The institute’s presence in Sri Lanka goes back to 1999. ICMA Australia is an internationally acclaimed professional qualification that offers competitive advantage to non-financial professionals in ever-changing business environment today.