Over 100 graduates pass out at IIT convocation

Monday, 3 November 2014 00:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) has always prided itself on being the leader in providing quality IT and business higher education in Sri Lanka. In collaboration with the University of Westminster UK, the IIT campus has once again produced top quality achievers who graduated at the recently concluded 20th convocation ceremony of the institute, which was held on 18 October at the BMICH in Colombo. This year, over 100 students were awarded degrees from the University of Westminster. The Chairman of the Informatics Group of Companies and Founder of the Informatics Institute of Technology, Dr. Gamini Wickramasinghe, Deputy Chairman of the Informatics Group of Companies Hasith Wickramasinghe, Managing Director of the Informatics Group of Companies Hiran Wickramasinghe, General Manager IIT Sudharshan Welihinda, Dean of IIT Prof. Alfred Perera and Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Westminster, Prof. Jane Lewis graced the occasion.

The Chief Guest was Former Director, Economic Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy. The Dean of IIT, Assoc. Prof. Alfred Perera, in his welcome address, congratulated the new graduates on their achievements and said that they reflected the high standards of education at IIT. This was followed by the granting of awards to students who had completed their first and second year of the degree program and the industrial placement year.

Prof. Jane Lewis, addressing the gathering at the convocation, stated that she was proud of the achievements of IIT and the highly esteemed position it holds amongst the industry and its employers, where IIT graduates had a continuous demand in leading companies in Sri Lanka. She said that this epitomised the key missions of the institute which are leadership and innovation. The Chief Guest Dr. Coomaraswamy, when delivering his address, emphasised that he was aware of the impressive track record and role played by the alumni of IIT and the benefits gained through them for the IT industry. He encouraged the attendant graduates to uphold these standards and go forth with confidence and pride with the knowledge that they were armed with a globally renowned qualification that is accepted both locally and internationally. The highlight of the function was the University of Westminster award for all-round performance and recognition in their respective degrees that was awarded by Prof. Lewis to Hashani Fernando for Software Engineering and Abhinya Sachithanandan for Information Systems in Business Management. Students who achieved a high aggregate in their respective degree program and performed exceptionally well, upholding the quality of education imparted on them by IIT, were awarded the Dr. Gamini Wickramasinghe gold medal. These comprised Sahan Serasinghe for BEng (Hons) Software Engineering, Shehara Gamage for BSc (Hons) Information Systems with Business Management and Dhanushka Kottegoda who won the award for the MSc Advanced Software Engineering. Students who achieved success in the many competitions both locally and internationally and had done IIT proud by bringing both fame and enhancing the reputation of the institute were also recognised and given awards. These included winners at the Microsoft Imagine Cup Sri Lanka 2014 in the Innovation, Games and World Citizenship categories, winner of British Council HSBC Youth Enterprise Award 2014, and the winner of the Silver award at the NBQSA 2014. This year’s convocation stood as a testament not only to the many accolades and achievements of IIT students studying in the fields of IT and business, but also to the institute’s commitment to moulding the best graduates in the industry. IIT has played a pivotal role in strengthening the IT sector in Sri Lanka and has also provided more than 600 scholarships over the past several years. With 25 years of excellence in the higher education industry, IIT has produced more than 3000 graduates who are holding top positions in the industry. For more information visit www.iit.ac.lk, email [email protected] or call 0722727272.