40 years of Transforming the lives of Sri Lankan: The Open University of Sri Lanka turns a milestone
The Open University of Sri Lanka turned 40 years on Wednesday, 22 July 2020. As Sri Lanka’s premier and pioneering Open and Distance Learning institution, OUSL has offered yeoman service to the nation by offering opportunities for higher education and thus transforming the lives thousands of Sri Lankans. While circumstances might have restricted many people from accessing the benefits of higher education, OUSL overcame those obstacles and opened up learning for all.
OUSL is not a cosmopolitan phenomenon but has a wide reach through its 9 Regional Centers and 19 Study Centers in many localities. This makes learning flexible and accessible. The university is one of the pioneers who popularised the mode of online learning and such initiatives played a crucial role in disseminating learning during the current Covid 19 crisis.
OUSL is the first and only university in the Sri Lankan university system which provides UGCapproved degrees programmes in the Open and Distance Learning mode and the university looks forward to enhancing and consolidating this position.
In a ceremony that was restricted due to the Covid 19 pandemic guidelines the highlight of the event was the launching of the special issue of the Open Quarterly magazine featuring the four decades of learning. The first copy was handed over by the Director of the Public Information Division, Dr. Indika Bulankulame to the Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka Professor S. A. Ariadurai. The Open Quarterly is a current news and a features magazine with an esteem editorial board headed by Mr. Lal Medawattegedara, Senior Lecturer of the Department of English Language Studies.
Two other import events also coincided with this event. The launching of the Code of Practice for Energy Saving formulated through the Center for Sustainable Development was ceremonially launched by the Vice Chancellor Professor S. A. Ariadurai. Mr. Harsha Wickramasinghe, Deputy Director General of the Sustainable Environmental Authority was invited as the Guest of Honour to mark this important milestone for the university.
Further the book Pathways to Open Education practices edited by Prof. Shironica Karunanayake and Prof. Som Nidu was also launched on this auspicious day. This is another milestone in Open and Distance Education for the The Open University of Sri Lanka.
The Ceremony culminated with a tree planting ceremony Mango trees were planted in the main campus and na tree were planted at all regional centres to mark this historic occasion.
In a ceremony that was restricted due to the Covid 19 pandemic guidelines the highlight of the event was the launching of the special issue of the Open Quarterly magazine featuring the four decades of learning. The first copy was handed over by the Director of the Public Information Division, Dr. Indika Bulankulame to the Vice Chancellor of the Open University of Sri Lanka Professor S. A. Ariadurai. The Open Quarterly is a current news and a features magazine with an esteem editorial board headed by Mr. Lal Medawattegedara, Senior Lecturer of the Department of English Language Studies.