SLIIT International Office gears students for global opportunities

In today’s global economy, preparing students for an increasingly interconnected world and a global economy is paramount. The International Office at SLIIT advances learning by collaborating with students, faculty, staff, and global partners to integrate international experiences.

Spearheading the division and strengthening the position of the institute is highly qualified and respected academic Prof. Mahesha Kapurubandara, Dean of the International Office. 

Commenting on her early days, Prof. Kapurubandara noted, “In 1999, I was the first academic to join SLIIT. I came in as a lecturer and first head of the academic division of SLIIT. Starting from scratch, with the support of the amanagement, I did the recruitment, cultivated the team and developed the curriculum to launch the IT Degree/Diploma programmes at SLIIT.”

As a dynamic scholar, Prof. Kapurubandara received the ‘Female ICT Leader of the Year 2016’ award at the recently concluded National IT Conference organised by the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL). She is also the recipient of ‘Women in Management’ award for 2016 and holds the title as the first female to receive a Professorship in ICT in Sri Lanka. “The awards I have won can be attributed to my contribution to SLIIT; especially in the formative years,” commented Prof. Kapurubandara.

Prof. Kapurubandara earned her PHD in Information Systems from Western Sydney University – Australia, Masters in Computer Science from Asian Institute of Technology – Bangkok and BSc degree from University of Colombo. Holder of many awards and degrees, she has also worked in the industry both locally and overseas gaining immense exposure and experience to help enhance her career and contribute towards the growth of SLIIT. 

“During my time at SLIIT, I received the opportunity to go regularly to the University of Uppsala in Sweden, as a visiting Professor. It was an extremely enlightening experience especially because SLIIT was in its formative years. Hence I was able to bring back a lot of experience and exposure which I used at the institute to develop and enrich our programmes,” said Prof. Kapurubandara. 

The international office at SLIIT values the significance of an increasingly interconnected world. With the goal of introducing internationalisation, the international programme at SLIIT places utmost importance in recruiting foreign students and establishing an exchange programme for both staff and students. Commenting on the goals for the international programme, Prof Kapurubandara noted, “We would like to increase the number of international students, enhance the exchange programme, run more international programmes and work with our partner universities on collaborations”. 

In order to attract more international students, SLIIT offers scholarships for students in the SAARC region. Working with the Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of External Affairs, High Schools and Higher Education Institutes in the SAARC, the institute creates awareness on the programmes at SLIIT. 

Elaborating further, Prof Kapurubandara stated, “Most of our international students come to SLIIT to transfer to foreign universities or complete the foreign degree in Sri Lanka at a very nominal cost in comparison to going overseas.”

The staff at SLIIT have identified the significance of students having an international exposure. In the international office, one area of focus is providing pathways for students to go to SLIIT’s partner universities. Students could also complete partner university degree programmes in Sri Lanka. Over 15 foreign degree programmes are currently available at SLIIT. 

“I was also attached to Western Sydney University (WSU) as a lecturer for five years. This stint too gave me insight into an international operation of a university; such as Australian work procedures, regulations, handling international students and services needed for international students,” noted Prof. Kapurubandara.

At SLIIT, students are provided with opportunities to enhance knowledge, immersed in an exciting cross-cultural environment.  Mobility programmes are conducted by inviting international students to Sri Lanka to network with local students and staff in collaboration with the SLIIT overseas partner universities.

Recently, SLIIT conducted a workshop on “Personal development Skills” for the students of Mianz International College, Male, Republic of Maldives. The workshop was conducted by Head, Department of Information Systems Engineering, Dr. Samantha Thelijjagoda. This is another step that has been taken by SLIIT to promote its international relationships. The event was organised by SLIIT International Affairs Division with the guidance of Prof Mahesha Kapurubandara.

Every month at SLIIT, a foreign academic conducts one or two lecture sessions. Additionally, there are exchange programmes with universities in Germany and France for students to attend, complete academic work and engage in industry based work. Initiatives of this manner provides exposure to both the local and foreign students at SLIIT.

With many activities in place which strengthen the international programme, SLIIT is also well equipped with over 300 highly qualified permanent staff, 50 PhD holders, state of the art facilities and a gamut of student events. Due to a high staff presence, the teacher – student relationship can be built and enhanced. 

In addition to the degrees offered by SLIIT, students also have the option of selecting from a variety of international degrees in the fields of IT, Business, Engineering, Architecture, Hospitality Management and Quantity Surveying. Whilst providing students with a complete university education, entering SLIIT opens up an avenue of forming a network of friends and acquaintances across the globe.