Broader access to professional careers a priority

The twin objectives of enriching the pool of talent available in Sri Lanka and making professional services of higher quality available to the corporate sector in the country have been well catered for by the work of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA) since its incorporation by Act of Parliament four years ago, External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said recently.

He was speaking as chief guest on the occasion of the induction of Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala as the first elected President of CMA at a ceremony at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.

Ever prior to its incorporation, the Institute has been doing very valuable work, enabling students in both urban and rural areas to acquire a well recognized business qualification at a fraction of the cost of a foreign course, the minister said.

The courses of study provided by the Institute cover core management accounting and financial accounting subjects, as well as useful disciplines like taxation and business law, he continued.

A feature of particular value is that students who have so far been deprived of the opportunity because of lack of knowledge of English can now equip themselves, because the students can now sit for the first two stages of the examination in the Sinhala and Tamil languages.

Steps taken by the Institute to provide the electronic learning option have enabled business executives, graduates and students who have been successful at the Advanced Level Examination to acquire this professional qualification. It is especially commendable that the Network Access Centres provide online content free.

Prof. Peiris referred to the Institute's partnership with the Distance Education Modernization Project of the Higher Education Ministry as an exemplary element of its programmes.

He said that, with extensive opportunities opening up with Sri Lanka's increased contact with the world because of the focus on ports, airports, investment and tourism infrastructure, avenues for training have become an urgent priority, and education in universities for full time students can no longer be the sole avenue for this training. Greater flexibility and variety is required, he commented.

This is also desirable from the point of view of enhancing professional standards which will lead to increased productivity in the corporate sector, he said.

Prof. Lakshman Watawala was inducted by Chairman of the Advisory Council of CMA Hemaka Amarasuriya, together with the other members of the Council.

Minister Peiris, acknowledging the vital importance of leadership for any organization, said that Prof. Lakshman Watawala's credentials augured well for the future of CMA. His career straddled leadership of statutory bodies, major banks and leading companies in the private sector, the minister said.