SLIIT to launch International Campus in Colombo
The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) will create a landmark in the country’s higher education sector with the launch of their new ‘SLIIT International Campus’ during the first quarter of 2021.
The new state-of-the-art university whose design and facilities would match its international peers, is a vital step in the institute’s plans to internationalize higher education in Sri Lanka. SLIIT’s new venture, following their 21 year success as the country’s single not-for-profit higher education institute, is primed to create the best higher education opportunities for both local and foreign students.
The SLIIT International campus will own a full franchise of the prestigious Curtin university of Western Australia, ranked amongst the top universities in the world. Vice Chancellor of SLIIT, professor Lalith Gamage says this is the first time such an opportunity is being afforded to Sri Lankan students. “Local students enrolling at our international campus will register as full-time undergraduates of Curtin, with access to all the facilities offered by the university in Australia and other parts of the world.
Students graduating from the SLIIT International Campus would receive a full Curtin degree directly awarded by the university and counted as such anywhere in the world, for a fraction of what it would cost if they were to study at Curtin University, Australia.”
The VC says while SLIIT already had an agreement with Curtin to offer degrees to local students; they did not have all the benefits offered by the university. The degrees awarded by the International campus on the other hand, will have the full weight of a Curtin degree.
Expert educator and academic, Dr Athula Pitigala-Arachchi, recently appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor International of SLIIT, will take charge of the new campus. “Curtin is the first to support us in internationalising our higher education programmes. We look forward to beginning this journey together with our prestigious collaborators and are certain our offering will not only prove a great opportunity for local students but also foreign students from across the globe. The timing is right and our strategy is in line with the government’s vision of making Sri Lanka a knowledge hub.”
Dr Pitigala Arachchi says SLIIT’s International’s partnership with Curtin, will help transplant international best practices in the Sri Lankan higher education system. “Curtin who is ranked amongst the top 1% universities in the world, offering full degree programmes in Computing and Engineering in Colombo, is an excellent opportunity for our students. Our International campus will offer every modern facility and the atmosphere will be like any first class university in the world. Extending this opportunity to international students, will contribute vastly to the government’s efforts in increasing our foreign exchange earnings.”
The Deputy Vice Chancellor International of SLIIT says the Curtin partnership is an ideal one since Australia is the main destination for Sri Lankan students who aspire to an international degree. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, close to 7,000 Sri Lankan students studied in Australian in 2017.
Students who will enroll for Curtin University degrees at the SLIIT International Colombo Campus, will have the option of transferring to a Curtin campus in Australia, if they desire, as soon as the situation improves and travel becomes feasible.
While studying for part of the degree in Colombo and transferring to complete and graduating from a Curtin university in Australia might be an attractive proposition, students who wish to get their Curtin degree in Sri Lanka, would have the advantage of gaining the identical high standard degree at a much more competitive price. The deputy vice chancellor international says this is of particular significance in the current scenario, when the Sri Lankan and world economies are facing a downturn
While the pandemic rages across the world SLIIT saw the need for some natural adjustments that had to be made. The SLIIT International Campus is the resulting silver lining in the dark cloud. Vice Chancellor Professor Gamage says the management would not have considered the franchise at this point in time if they had not identified the need and the opportunity.
As a trailblazer in the higher education sector for the past twenty years, SLIIT sees internationalisation as an obvious route to take given the massive growth potential various local industries will experience in the coming years. “In the past, Sri Lankan higher education was held in high esteem and even emulated by our neighboring countries; however, over the years, we seem to have fallen behind, while other Asian countries have marched ahead of us.
I believe internationalisation of higher education will get us back on track. It will open doors to interact with global education providers: undertake joint research, develop and deliver joint academic programmes, facilitate student and staff exchanges, as well as attract FDIs,” says Dr Pitigala Arachchi.
SLIIT is of the view that their International Campus is the first step in helping Sri Lanka leapfrog to the next level, to get on par with the rest of the world.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor says SLIIT International is honoured to be the torchbearer for internationalization of higher education in Sri Lanka.