Business

‘Inspiring Young Minds’

Published

3 years ago

2022/12/14

Marist Centennial Oration organized by MSC OBA Colombo branch, delivered by Dr. Ranga Rodrigo, Head, Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Moratuwa.

Thank you, Mr. Merrick Goonaratne, esteemed Maristonian of the Order of the Rising Sun for the kind introduction.

Rev. Bro. Principal Sunanda Alwis, Rev. Bro Principal Shanthi Liyanage, Rev. Brothers, President of the Maris Stella College Old Boys’ Association Colombo Branch, Eng. Shirley Jayakody, Secretary, Mr. Mithra Weerakoon, members of the executive committee, past presidents, members, spouses, ladies and gentlemen,

Let your mind think of our world of plenty—rivers, minerals, trees, animals, fruits—but with no human beings. Emptiness rumbles through the dark hills and valleys. Then, it is the man, the pinnacle of creation, which enlivens the lifeless world. It is man’s mind, like the sun that bathes the world with morning light, that energizes the world out of empty darkness into meaning. What is man: a thinking being. Man uses the mind, the power of imagination, to transform the world from emptiness to a habitat. If our desire is to have a vibrant and peaceful world, it is the mind of the man that must be inspired. What is the milieu of a man’s mind that can be inspired? It is only a sapling that turns toward the sun. It is only moist clay that can be molded into a beautiful pot. It is the student who is awake who can be inspired. The nature of a mind that can be inspired is its receptiveness, like a sapling, moist clay, or a listening student. A young mind does not essentially is in a youngster, but in a human who is receptive. Inspiring young minds is, then, empowering those who are receptive to work towards a renewed world.

If the entire existence depends on inspired minds, and such an inspiration is only advantageous, what is the barrier? As I see, there are two barriers: noise and incorrect metrics. A young boy resorts to a windowsill to indulge in reading a book, a treasure trove. There he hears a tone, the tone of an instant message. He drops the book, picks the phone, and immerses in the muddy, turbulent, noisy waters of messages, social networks, and videos. There is no time for reading or reflection when noise is taking its toll. However, children’s love for tools that create noise should not be dealt with retribution. In this context, children will retaliate. The dawn of the era of devices brings to our mind the invention of the printing press in 1440s.

This sent shockwaves through Europe: the press can widely publicize adulterous prints. However, today, we know how to decipher between a good book and a terrible book with ease. The era of devices will reach the same destiny. The second barrier, incorrect metrics, is worse than noise. The story of the bus driver provides me reasons to justify the existence of a lethargic uninspired mind corrupted by an incorrect metric. The driver starts form Piliyandala, where I live, and drives toward Colombo. In his world of incorrect metrics, boarding as many passengers as possible is the goal – the metric. The correct metric should have been the income over expenditure per hour of driving. Noise and incorrect metrics lead anyone far away from inspiration.

In the world drowned in noise and marred with incorrect metrics, how can we go about inspiring young minds? Among many possible, three methods come to my mind: one-on-one mentoring, exemplary life, and joyfulness. An undergraduate dropped by my office to ask what more degrees should he do. He already had a Bachelor of Information Technology Degree and an LLB degree. He was following our Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering degree program, arguably, the most sought after. I told him that more qualifications are of limited use and to get engaged with research. Following that, the work that he did with a couple of more students led to a paper in a high-impact journal, a paper in the Conference on Winter Applications of Computer Vision and, finally, a paper in the coveted Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition. At WACV in Hawaii, the student related to me, another researcher has asked “Do these things, i.e., vision research, happen in your country, Sri Lanka, and where is Sri Lanka, by the way?” The student is now with the computer vision group at University of Maryland. One-on-one mentoring works.

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IMF approves USD695 million for Sri Lanka

Published

17 hours ago

2026/05/31

Thilina Walpola

AFP –The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) board approved two reviews of Sri Lanka’s loan programme, making USD695 million in additional loans immediately available to the island nation.

It is the latest tranche in the country’s four-year USD3 billion bailout, with the Fund warning of further risks due to the economic impact of the Middle East conflict.

Surging oil prices due to the conflict have heavily impacted many import-dependent Asian countries.

“Sri Lanka’s strong implementation under the EFF arrangement has continued despite challenging circumstances,” said the IMF’s Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair Kenji Okamura.

“Gains from the economic reform programme helped preserve economic resilience and provided room to respond to cyclone Ditwah and the Middle East conflict. The latter, however, has significantly worsened Sri Lanka’s economic outlook and tilted risks to the downside.”

The IMF projects 2026 growth to slow to three per cent, with higher oil prices increasing inflation and weighing on the current account balance.

The board’s approval was contingent on Sri Lanka adjusting certain energy market subsidies issued in the wake of the conflict.

The statement said the Sri Lankan authorities had met the Fund’s requirements on fuel and electricity prices meeting cost-recovery criteria.

Criteria on ensuring no new external debts and on not imposing or intensifying import restrictions “were not observed”, however.

Business

Cambridge College honours students at awards ceremony

Published

17 hours ago

2026/05/31

Thilina Walpola

Guests with an award winner at the certificate and medal awarding ceremony Hindu Cultural Hall in Kandy

The Cambridge College of English Language Training recently held a certificate and medal awarding ceremony to recognize the academic achievements of students who successfully completed Cambridge English examinations.

The ceremony was held at the Hindu Cultural Hall in Kandy with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, Prof. W.M.T. Madhujith, attending as the Chief Guest, while Kandy Mayor Chandrasiri Wijenayake participated as the Guest of Honour.

Founded on March 1, 2024, by English tutor, author and Cambridge TKT lecturer T. Ravichandran, the institution has emerged as a leading centre for Cambridge English examination preparation in Kandy.

Beginning with an initial intake of 30 students, the college has expanded rapidly and currently serves more than 300 students.

The institution’s achievements were further recognized when it received the “Emerging Star Award 2025” at the Annual Coordinators Conference 2025 (South Asia).

The college provides training for students between the ages of seven and 18 across six stages of Cambridge English examinations, including Young Learners English (YLE) Starters, Movers and Flyers, as well as KET, PET and FCE examinations.

Cambridge English qualifications are internationally recognized and are designed to assess language proficiency in line with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates and medals to students in recognition of their academic performance and commitment.

Text and Pic by SK Samaranayake

Business

ABC Australia, Maharaja Media Network ink MoU to expand Indo-Pacific media collaboration

Published

17 hours ago

2026/05/31

Thilina Walpola

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC Australia) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sri Lanka’s Maharaja Media Network (MMN), marking a significant expansion of media cooperation aimed at strengthening content exchange, co-productions and professional collaboration across the Indo-Pacific.

The agreement builds on an initial broadcast partnership established in 2022 and an expanded licensing arrangement in 2023, under which ABC programming was made available free-to-air to Sri Lankan audiences through MTV Channel (Private) Limited, part of the Capital Maharaja Group.

Under the new framework, the two organisations will collaborate across television, radio and digital platforms, with a focus on co-produced content, editorial exchange, training opportunities and joint storytelling initiatives.

MMN, Sri Lanka’s largest media network, operates across television, radio, digital media, music and film, including MTV Channel (Private) Limited and MBC Networks (Private) Limited.

Australian High Commission officials described the agreement as a deepening of regional media ties. “This will cover co-production, content sharing and broader cooperation across the Asia-Pacific in telling stories that speak to both countries,” said Matthew Duckworth.

ABC International Head Claire M. Gorman said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to public-interest media and stronger regional storytelling.

Capital Maharaja Group Director Chevaan Daniel said the relationship, which began during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis in 2022, had grown through continued collaboration, including during the 2025 Ditwah cyclone response.