New council elected for Computer Society of Sri Lanka

Monday, 29 December 2014 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The new Executive Council of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) for 2015 was elected at their Annual General Meeting, held last week at the Kingsbury Hotel.

CSSL’s new President Dr. Dayan Rajapakse (right) and new Vice President Yasas V. Abeywickrama Dr. Dayan Rajapakse was unanimously elected as President while Yasas V. Abeywickrama was elected Vice President. The other members of the Executive Council are its Secretary W. K. Prabath Samindra, Treasurer Chrisantha Silva, Assistant Secretary Damith Hettihewa, Assistant Treasurer Udana Wickramasinghe, Student Counsellor Dr. D. A. S. Atukorale, Publications Secretary Nishan Sembacuttiaratchy and council members M. A. Salgado, Dr. T. K. D. A. Prasad Samarasinghe, Dr. T. A. Samantha Sujeewa Thelijjagoda, and Ninesh Daniel Amirthiah. Dr. Dayan Rajapakse started his career as a medical doctor but his interest in ICT led him to establish ESOFT Computer Studies Ltd., which is now known as ESOFT Metro Campus. He currently serves as the Group Managing Director of the ESOFT Group which includes ESOFT Metro Campus, ESOFT Global, ESOFT International Education and ESOFT Technologies amongst others. He is a reputed lecturer in many different subject areas for undergraduate programs. Dr. Rajapakse joined the CSSL in 2006 and served Student Counsellor, Secretary and Vice President on previous councils. Abeywickrama has been with the CSSL Council for many years and he is the CEO of the Lanka BPO Academy. He is also the Chairman of the International Young IT group of IFIP – International Federation for Information Processing. Making his inaugural speech at the AGM, Dr. Rajapakse mentioned that with focus now shifting on the areas of ICT and transforming Sri Lanka into a knowledge society and a preferred destination for business process outsourcing (BPO) and a knowledge centre, there are many areas in which the CSSL can play an active role. Speaking about his vision for 2020, he said that an ICT professionals’ workforce of 80,000 was needed to drive economic demands and that membership of the CSSL would be increased to 10,000. The CSSL was established in 1976 in Sri Lanka by a group of dedicated professionals for the purpose of promoting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and professionalism among those engaged in this field, and to maintain the highest professional standards among ICT professionals. CSSL has played this role for over 35 years and is considered the apex body for ICT professionals in Sri Lanka. It is a not-for-profit body. The CSSL is best known in Sri Lanka for hosting the National IT Conference (NITC) which provides a platform for national and international speakers to present papers. CSSL also organises the National Schools’ Software Competition (NSSC) as well as the popular IT MasterMind Television Quiz Show that is nationally televised on ITN. These activities have collectively led to a surge in popularity for CSSL and a renewed energy in driving large projects for building awareness and capacity. The CSSL also provides networking opportunities as well as workshops and seminars that are organised on a regular basis. The membership drive for 2015 will be launched soon and prospective professionals are welcome to visit the CSSL website at www.cssl.lk to learn about our activities and also to apply for membership.