Bank of Ceylon joins hands with Institute of Physics to build future scientists

The Sri Lankan team to the 15th IJSO-2018 at Botswana. From left: G.G.S. Dilshara, T. Chandrakumar, R.T.U. Jayasena, K. Makarathan, Prof. H.H. Sumathipala (IJSO Country Coordinator and Leader – Physics), Prof. N.A.K.P.J. Senevirathne (Leader – Chemistry), K.N.D. Fernando, S.K. Munasinghe and Prof. W.U. Chandrasekara (Leader – Biology)

As a knowledge enhancement initiative for youth in the country, the Bank of Ceylon (BOC) has joined hands with Institute of Physics Sri Lanka/SLJSO to sponsor Sri Lankan teams to represent the country at the International Junior Science Olympiads (IJSO) held in Indonesia, Netherlands and Botswana respectively. 

Four Sri Lankan students won Bronze medals at the 15th International Junior Science Olympiad – 2018 (IJSO) held in Botswana early December 2018. 

Last year, the 15th IJSO was held from 2-11 December 2018 in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. There were 48 teams (six students per team) from 44 countries of the five continents of the world competing at this prestigious academic event. 

Each year, Sri Lanka participates at the IJSO with six students who are trained by three university academics. The students for the IJSO are selected through the Sri Lankan Junior Science Olympiad (SLJSO), through an examination held locally at each competition year. The bank has also sponsored IJSO to conduct Junior National Olympiad examinations at province level. 

BOC has also enabled students by making it possible to pay their registration fees on its online banking platform directly through a special panel that is available especially for IJSO, a feature enabled through the bank’s digitisation process.  This is yet another strategic corporate social responsibility initiative of the bank to empower Sri Lankan youth through education and uplift the education level of the country to enable a sustainable economic development. 

The Bank of Ceylon (BOC) has been helping to promote science education in Sri Lanka together with IJSO for a considerable period of time. IJSO is a major prestigious international educational competition held annually for young school children to recognise the significance of natural sciences in the general education and in all aspects of their lives. 

In this academic event, subjects and the practical knowledge in biology, chemistry and physics are tested simultaneously through a series of rigorous tests and the best performing junior science students and the teams were selected.