Over 200 students graduate at CICRA Campus annual graduation

More than 200 students graduated from CICRA Campus – Sri Lanka’s premier cyber security education provider – during its graduation ceremony held recently at the BMICH.

The graduands included students who completed the Bachelor of Cyber Security degree from the University of Deakin and Executive Master in Information Security from Asia e University, Malaysia.

The graduation ceremony was presided by Prof. Rohan Samarajiva – a pioneer in ICT revolution in Sri Lanka. Prof. Samarajiva led the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission as its Director General overseeing the liberalisation of the telecommunications industry. He is also a former Chairman of the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka. 

The graduation ceremony commenced with the arrival of Chief Guest Prof. Samarajiva in an academic procession led by traditional dancers to the convocation hall at the BMICH. CICRA Group Director/CEO Boshan Dayaratne and Group Executive Director Vasana Wickremasena accompanied the chief guest while members of the academic panel of CICRA Campus also joined the procession. 

Speaking to the graduands, their parents and close relatives, Prof. Samarajiva said learning to learn is the key. “You’d been given the theoretical framework to distinguish between good knowledge and bad knowledge. The actual learning is not visible, it’s behind the degree, and it’s not the exams. The credential becomes obsolete, but the learning remains,” he said.

“There is massive change happening in our field and unlike the old days, a degree doesn’t mean the end of learning. You must keep on top of the new knowledge,” Prof. Samarajiva said.

“Some people have fun – w e must admit they have fun – making money by making life unpleasant for other people by breaking into systems. And the current systems are made obsolete by these people who are trying to sharpen their techniques and develop new ways of breaching cyber security measures. And if you are a white hat trying to defend these systems based on the knowledge gained from 2019 or 2020, you’re not going to be very good at the job. You need to continuously refresh your knowledge,” he said.

Speaking at the ceremony, CICRA Group Director/CEO Boshan Dayaratne congratulated all the graduates and said that the CICRA Campus is proud of all the students for coming out victorious during these challenging times. “Challenging times serve as a test of character and resilience, we’re proud that all our students have faced these challenges successfully,” Dayaratne added.

CICRA Group Executive Director Vasana Wickremasena introduced the Chief Guest to the audience while CICRA Campus Head of Academics Nimesha Rajakaruna delivered the vote of thanks.

During the ceremony, the following students were awarded special awards:

Executive Master of Science in Information Security: J.M.L.C. Jayasekara (2019), W.P. Senalike Devalawatte (2020), W.M. Chinthaka Kasun Wanasooriya (2021)

Executive Master of Science in Mass Communication: Tharaka Ruwansiri Basnayaka (2020), Ranil Indike Ruwanpathirane (2021).