NDT Alumni Assoc. to celebrate NTD Golden Jubilee
The National Diploma in Technology Alumni Association ( NDTAA) has drawn elaborate arrangements to mark NDT golden jubilee celebrations this year, according to its President Mangala Jayasinghe.
The NDTAA launched the programmes with an event at Renuka Hotel Colombo last week, with Minister of Home Affairs Vajira Abeywardena and Chairman- State Engineering Corporation & Institute Of Technology University of Moratuwa (ITUM) Project Director, Dr T.A.G. Gunasekera, and ITUM Director Mrs Priyanganee Samarasekera , .
A stamp designed by well known stamp designer Sanath Rohana will be issued, while TV discussions, panel discussions and workshops in Skill Developments will be held to improve the Soft Skills of NDT students to enhance their career prospects.
A Quiz Competition among Technical Colleges (TC) will also be held.
Felicitation of prominent NDT holders from 25 top performers in their respective fields, at a get-together or, international conference, is also on the cards.
A get-together to be held in August/ September at the ITUM premises, with over 10,000 NDT holders and family members are among other events.
Technical Education In Sri Lanka, originated in the 1890s, with the establishment of the Colombo Technical College, as a Govt. Dept, primarily to cater to the requirements of a few Govt Depts. such as the Public Works, Railways and Irrigation.
The Govt. TC at Maradana, which was later renamed Ceylon TC (CTC), is the foremost TC set up in Sri Lanka, in 1893. It provided specialised training in Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and arranged studies for Degrees from the University of London and exams of the Institute of Engineers.
The CTC has produced famous Engineers s u ch as D. J. Wimalasurendra, Dr A. N. S . Kulasinghe (Farther of Engineering in Sri Lanka), Kanag aratnam Sriskandan, Prof Dayantha Wijesekera (Former Vice Chancellor of Open University and University of Moratuwa) are a few of them.
In 1954, to cater to the need for more Junior Technical Officers (JTO), the govt. issued a directive to establish a Training institute with more practical aspects, in the outskirts of Colombo, calling it the Institute of Practical Technology, Katubedda, (IPTK). This emphasised the need for technical personnel to be practical and the JTO course was established at IPTK.
The Association appreciated the yeo- man services rendered by Dr L. H. Sumanadasa for Technical Education and especially, the development of JTO/NDT programmes. In 1960, the IPTK was established at Moratuwa, with Dr Sumanadasa as founder Principal.
The Ceylon College of Technology Katubedda, Moratuwa, soon to be converted to a University, developed this world-class Engineering programme 50 years ago, which is now called the National Diploma in Technology.
The National Diploma in Technology course, which also serves as a pathway to professional Engineering, is currently conducted at the ITUM, which is to be relocated this year to an ultra-modern facility at Diyagama, as an Institute of the University of Moratuwa, which is expected to accommodate over 1,000 NDT holders per batch, to meet National and international requirements.