Connecting the world of quality education

Efforts to connect Sri Lankans with the world of quality education by Scholarships for USA run by Priyanthi and Padmasena Dissanayake has come for praise by Prof. Gunapala Nanayakkara, Managing Director, Graduate School of Management and Senior Professor, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

“In this era of globalisation, Sri Lankans increasing need to integrate with centers of economic prosperity, and that is a sine qua non for the nation’s march forward. In order to meet this need, which is in fact a right to quality education, action is needed at all levels – national, sectoral, firm and individual. The long efforts of Priyanthi and Sam Dissanayake to connect Sri Lanka with institutions of excellence in higher education in the developed world, particularly in the United States must be assessed in this broad context of national need,” Prof. Nanayakkara said.

“Needless to emphasise over and over that Sri Lanka’s higher education system has been failing to meet the demands for higher education in both quality and quantity. Once a marvel of education, Sri Lanka now falls behind even poorer nations in the world in terms of per capita expenditure and degree of access available to qualified persons to enter the tertiary level of learning. Our system of education, as much as our firms and public organisations, must continually receive the services of our educated youth who are exposed to international standards,” he added.

According to Prof. Nanayakkara, the Dissanayake family not only understood this rational process but also had the commitment and perseverance to pursue on their own the ways of opening up opportunities in best universities in the States.

“They visited those institutions, negotiated scholarships and concessions, and instructed Sri Lankans how to ride the waves of education and career development. Our institutions and policy makers often have a deaf ear to their call for collaboration with foreign higher educational institutions, but Dissanayake family would not be discouraged,” Prof. Nanayakkara opined.

“I have personally known their efforts, incredible in any standard of collaboration between nations and institutions, which are self-motivated and self-sustained. I know they live in the subject and they derive utmost life satisfaction by seeing that Sri Lankan youths take the path they have paved and enter a world of discovery. What else other than making people grow can be noble among human endeavors? In the national interest, I wish to join all academics, professionals and policy promoters to support the work of Dissanayakes so that they may take off now for leap forward and be the true champions of development reforms in education,” Prof. Nanayakkara added.