Prof. H.A. de S. Gunasekera Memorial Oration 2018 today at University of Peradeniya

The Professor H.A. de S. Gunasekera Memorial Oration 2018 will be held on Tuesday 4 December at 3 p.m. at the Senate Room, University of Peradeniya. The Oration will be delivered by Dr. W.A. Wijewardena, President, B.M.S. and a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, on the topic, ‘Sri Lanka at crossroads: The way to rescue the ailing economy’.

Prof. H.A. de S. Gunasekara was the Professor of Economics and Head of the Department of Economics and Political Science of the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya. He succeeded Prof. Das Gupta to become the second occupant of the Chair (and the first Sri Lankan) in the Department in 1961. He also served as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Peradeniya (1963-1969) and later on as the Secretary, Ministry of Planning (1970-1977) under Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. He was a much respected academic and public servant. A large number of his students have made outstanding contributions to both academic and public life in Sri Lanka and overseas.

Dr. W.A. Wijewardena was a career Central Banker with experience in almost all areas of central banking. He retired from the Bank in 2009 as Deputy Governor in charge of economic research, monetary policy and price stability. He has served as Adjunct Faculty at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and has functioned as the President of Business Management School, Sri Lanka from 2010 to date. He is a writer, newspaper columnist, public speaker and economic analyst.

Sri Lanka is presently going through an unimaginable economic crisis. However, every crisis is an opportunity. This oration will probe into the way to exploit those opportunities and put the economy on track. 

The oration is organised jointly by the Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Peradeniya and the Prof. H.A. de S. Gunasekera Memorial Trust Fund. The event is free and open to the public.