KUCHING (Sarawak, Malaysia) - After spending about a day at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, a group of six school counsellors from Sri Lanka are impressed with what the university has to offer.

The visit to the university located in Kuching, capital city of the Malaysian state of Sarawak, was organized and led by Aspirations Education and included a meeting and a briefing by the university's heads of schools on courses offered, a gathering with Sri Lankan students, and a guided tour of the campus.

"I must admit that I did not know what to expect at Swinburne (Sarawak). My apprehension was soon replaced with information and facts. It was obvious from the briefing the lecturers and various heads of departments and schools, though from different nationalities, were a well integrated group, prominent in their respective fields," said Sonia Elaine Jayasinghe, a university coordinator at Elizabeth Moir School in Colombo.

"Our tour of the well equipped labs demonstrated that Swinburne (Sarawak) placed emphasis on providing state-of-the-art facilities for students. I was further impressed by the homely accommodation made available to them."

Equally impressed was Don Dayawansa Liyanage, quality management director and career guidance counsellor at Lyceum International School, who said he was won over by the facilities available and described the campus as "very nice".

Other representatives on the visit were Trissette Germaine Tillekeratne of Wycherley International School, Amitha Samarasinghe Jayawardena of Belvoir International School, Sundarampillai Mayuiran of Leighton Park International School and Naguleswaran Ayadurai of Ladies College.

The visitors also met with Sri Lankan students for refreshments. At the gathering, Ajith Abeysekera, head of Aspirations Education, advised the students to go all out in their studies. "Finish your studies here and return to your motherland and help rebuild the country. You are all here because the people back home have contributed to your studies in one way or another," he said.

During the campus tour, the visitors stopped at some of the university's engineering and biotechnology labs which have one of the latest equipment in the field. More than RM10 million (USD3 million) worth of equipment had been put in place when the Sarawak Campus was expanded last year. Expanded at a cost of RM110 million (USD30 million), added to the campus are more state-of-the-art facilities. Its impressive 10,244 sq ft-lecture theatre, for example, seats 350 and is equipped with the latest audio-visual technology and sound-proofed walls.

The library accommodates 700 students, providing learning resources and services to support the university's teaching, learning and research programmes. Its services and facilities have been specially designed to integrate modern digital technology with traditional information resources. Also added to the existing facilities are 83 laboratories for engineering, research and science as well as 37 tutorial rooms. Open computer laboratories are equipped with the latest desktop computers and multimedia applications. State-of-the-art production facilities enable students to create professional video productions such as short films, commercials and music videos.

Two fully furnished on-campus hostels provide more than 430 students with all the conveniences of home, while a multipurpose hall offers a gym, badminton, basketball and squash courts. Tennis courts sit atop the seven-storey parking structure. The four schools at Swinburne Sarawak are Engineering and Science, Business and Enterprise, Computing and Design, and Language and Foundation. Courses offered are in business, engineering, science, computing and design. These range from foundation, undergraduate to postgraduate levels.

"Though my visit to Swinburne was short, I came away sufficiently impressed to be able to recommend students to this university, said Sonia.