Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
(WUSL) is one of the latest and modern learning and research
institutions in Sri Lanka. The degree programmes offered at Wayamba
University are different from others as it offers students much more
than a mere educational qualification. Curricular of the University aim
at providing students a total holistic approach to one of a kind
educational experience that enables them to achieve career goals along
with creativity and innovativeness. The graduates are expected be
employable individuals as well as valuable citizens who will be of
benefit to the society. The high practical content and opportunities for
inplant/industrial training are characteristic features of our
undergraduate study programmes which results in a good record of
graduate employment.
It
is with great pleasure that I write this short message for the official
web of the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. Commencing as an
Affiliated University College, thereafter as the Wayamba Campus of the
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka and presently having the status of a
national university, this Institution has successfully faced many
challenges along the way and is now in a position to compete with
reputed Universities in Sri Lanka.
Wayamba University is located at two
premises- Kuliyapitya and Makandura with easy access from Colombo,
Kurunegala, and Kandy. The two locations are situated in an ideal
environment with food and agribusiness, and industrial and commercial
activities. The University has established links with national and
regional industries, business establishments, research institutes and
government and non-government organizations. The University has
initiated several research activities with industry collaborations.
Message from the Vice Chancellor
It
is with great pleasure that I write this short message for the official
web of the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. Commencing as an
Affiliated University College, thereafter as the Wayamba Campus of the
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka and presently having the status of a
national university, this Institution has successfully faced many
challenges along the way and is now in a position to compete with
reputed Universities in Sri Lanka.
The University is now well on its way to
achieving its vision of becoming a centre of excellence in higher
education in Sri Lanka, progressing through its innovative programmes,
high quality graduates of professional and personal repute. I am proud
to state that the employability of our graduates is at a very high rate
with some Faculties recording 100%.
This web site, while recording the
development of the University, elaborates on the academic and
professional services offered by the University to its undergraduate and
postgraduate students as well as to the community in general through
the Faculties, Units and Centres.
During
the first few months of 1991, the University Grants Commission in
collaboration with relevant universities examined the viability of
Kuliyapitiya Technical College, to be established as an Affiliated
University College in the North Western Province. Subsequently, the idea
was mooted to seek some premises within the Kurunegala municipal
limits, as the space available at the Kuliyapitiya Technical College was
deemed to be inadequate. Subsequently, 07 acres of land that belonged
to the Divisional Engineer’s Office on the Vidyala Mawatha, including
the buildings thereon, together with 02 other buildings that belonged to
the Department of Buildings were earmarked to be taken over to
establish the proposed Affiliated University of the North Western
Province.
The
need for restructuring of the degrees offered by the new universities
was a priority in the governments’ national educational reforms. The
major issue was that the degrees offered, whether by the traditional or
the newly established universities, should focus on the future needs of
the country and that they should develop appropriately trained human
resources with necessary competence and skills to man development
projects. Therefore the new universities were expected to develop new
degree programmes encompassing appropriately designed courses which
could cut across departments of study, adopt modern teaching – learning
techniques and evaluation procedures, while rationalizing the human and
other available resources. Therefore, the training of undergraduates in
the conventional system was no longer viable and the emphasis was to
make the best use of the investment on higher education by producing
graduates who were employable in sectors where job opportunities would
be available in the future.
Our History
Historical Background : Affiliated University College of the North Western Province
During
the first few months of 1991, the University Grants Commission in
collaboration with relevant universities examined the viability of
Kuliyapitiya Technical College, to be established as an Affiliated
University College in the North Western Province. Subsequently, the idea
was mooted to seek some premises within the Kurunegala municipal
limits, as the space available at the Kuliyapitiya Technical College was
deemed to be inadequate. Subsequently, 07 acres of land that belonged
to the Divisional Engineer’s Office on the Vidyala Mawatha, including
the buildings thereon, together with 02 other buildings that belonged to
the Department of Buildings were earmarked to be taken over to
establish the proposed Affiliated University of the North Western
Province.
After the officers of the Divisional Engineering Office vacated the premises on 9th
August 1991, the renovation of the existing buildings, effecting
necessary changes to suit the University Courses of Study and the
requirements of the University administration, were undertaken. The
In-service Training Institute of the Department of Agriculture at
Makandura, had been reorganized, with all facilities to suit the
requirements of an Agricultural Studies section under the direction of
the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya.
After the renovation of buildings, a
University College, named as the Affiliated University College of the
North Western Province [AUC-NWP] was ceremonially opened on 20th
November 1991, together with the other Colleges of the Affiliated
University College System of Sri Lanka. The NWP Affiliated University
College was inaugurated on that day under the Section 18 of the
Universities Act No. 16 of 1978, cited as the North Western Province
Affiliated University College Ordinance No. 10 of 1991, which came into
effect on 20th November 1991.
The NWP Affiliated University College
was initiated with two academic sections namely; Home Science &
Nutrition, affiliated to the University of Kelaniya, and Agricultural
Studies, affiliated to the University of Peradeniya. The academic work
commenced in both Sections on 23rd March 1992 with 98 students in the Home Science & Nutrition Section and 88 students in the Agricultural Science Section.
On completion of the Foundation Courses
of studies for the students of the Agricultural Section, conducted at
the Affiliated University Premises at Kuliyapitiya, they were
transferred to the Makandura Center on 23rd May 1992. In the
meantime, it had been found that the Mathematical Science Diploma
course, conducted by the Western Province Affiliated University College,
affiliated to the University of Kelaniya, was not functioning well. As
such, arrangements were made to relocate the Mathematical Science
Diploma Course, in the NWP Affiliated University College. This proposal
was recommended by the Board of Management of the NWP Affiliated
University College on 13th November 1993, which received approval of the University Grants Commission on 09th
December 1993. Accordingly, the academic and non-academic staff, who
conducted this Course, and a group of 18 students, were absorbed into
the NWP Affiliated University, with effect from 18th January 1994.
Historical Background : Wayamba Campus of the Rajarata University
The Wayamba Campus of the Rajarata
University of Sri Lanka was established on the recommendation of a
Committee consisting of Hon. Wishva Warnapala, Deputy Minister of
Education & Higher Education as Chairman. This Committee was
appointed by the Hon. Minister of Education and Higher Education Richard
Pathirana on 22nd December, 1994 to report on the Affiliated
University Colleges. On the recommendation of the above Committee,
nine Affiliated University Colleges spread out in various provinces of
the country were merged to form two national universities, the Rajarata
and the Sabaragamuwa Universities of Sri Lanka on 07th November 1996.
The Affiliated University College of the
North Western Province, which consisted of two academic sections
namely; Home Science & Nutrition and Agriculture, originally
affiliated to the Universities of Kelaniya and Peradeniya respectively,
were merged to form the Wayamba Campus and established in terms of the
provisions of the Sections 18 and 47 (1) of the Universities Act No. 16
of 1978 and the Campus Board Ordinance No. 3 of 1995.
As provided in the Act referred above,
two Faculties were set up to form the Wayamba Campus namely, the Faculty
of Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of Applied Sciences I, each
with three Departments of study.
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
consisted of the Departments of Plantation Management, Horticultural
Sciences and Food Technology & Agricultural Engineering, while the
Faculty of Applied Sciences I comprised of the Departments of
Mathematical Sciences, Industrial Management & Computer Studies and
Nutrition & Community Resources Management.
Location and Facilities
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences was
located at Makandura, on 10 hectares land (25 acres) at the former
In-service Training Center of the Department of Agriculture on the
Kurunegala – Negombo Road, approximately 65 kilometres
from the provincial capital Kurunegala. The buildings of the
In-service Center were modified to cater to the needs of the students
and additional facilities such as the Dean’s Office & Administrative
Unit, Plant House, Student Cafeteria and extensions to the Food Science
Laboratory and Library were set up after taking over the Premises.
The Faculty of Applied Sciences I was
located in proximity to the Kuliyapitiya Town on the Lionel Jayathilake
Mawatha in 07 acres of land previously occupied by the Divisional
Engineering Office and the Department of Buildings. Several buildings,
which belonged to the above department, were renovated and a new
administrative block was constructed since the commencement of the
academic programmes. In 1997, two blocks of land with an extent of 02
and 47 acres adjoining the Faculty were acquired for the purpose of
expanding the academic programme, hostels and other facilities of the
Faculty.
The two Faculties at Wayamba located 18
km from each other, had created many logistical and administrative
problems, it had duplicated some common facilities such as the library
and transport. In spite of this, the students of the Faculty of
Agriculture benefited by staying in close proximity to the regional
agricultural research center, as they were able to share research
facilities and other resources, which were not available at the Faculty
at the beginning. This had also facilitated opportunities for the
students to get exposed to the national agricultural research programmes
and to be aware of current research problems in the North Western
Province.
Academic Programmes
The Wayamba Campus developed several
innovative degree programmes, most of which were not offered by the
traditional universities of the country. The main objective of the new
degree programmes was to develop scientific skills and competence in the
graduates to make them employable in both the public and private
sectors. The emphasis in both Faculties was directed towards human
resources development to meet the demand of an open economic situation
in the agricultural and industrial sectors.
To achieve the objectives stated above,
both Faculties offered three year degree programmes based on the course
unit system of instruction organized into two semesters per year, each
of 15 weeks duration. The medium of instruction in English language was
made compulsory for all students and statistics, mathematics and
development of computer skills formed a substantial portion of the
curriculum. Furthermore, to expose the students to the actual working
environments, develop knowledge, skills and confidence in order to
ensure employment, an industrial training of 3-6 months in a recognized
and relevant private enterprise/plantation industry was built into the
final year of the degree course. This practice, which the other
universities had not pursued at that time, paid dividends. It was noted
that many students following the agricultural sciences programme were
successful in getting employment in the companies where they had
received industrial training.
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
offered the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Agriculture Degree in the
following specialized areas:
B.Sc. (Agribusiness Management)
B.Sc. (Horticultural Sciences)
B.Sc. (Plantation Management)
B.Sc. (Agricultural Engineering)
B.Sc. (Food Technology)
The Faculty of Applied Sciences offered the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) General Degree in the following areas:
B.Sc. (Mathematical Sciences)
B.Sc. (Industrial Management and Computer Sciences)
B.Sc. (Nutrition and Community Resources Management)
General Admission Requirements
The admission requirements to both
Faculties were based on the national admission policy laid down by the
University Grants Commission.
The subject combinations for admission
to the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences was similar to those of the
other Faculties of Agriculture in Sri Lanka. As per the revised
admission criteria in 1998, the students should have offered Chemistry,
Physics, Biology or Agriculture for the G.C.E. (A/L).
In the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the
students should have offered Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics,
Physics and Chemistry for the G.C.E (A/L) as a pre-requisite for
following its degree programmes involving Mathematics, Industrial
Management and Computer Studies.
For the degree programme in Nutrition
and Community Resources Management (NCRM) the students should have
offered subjects in Biological or Physical Science Streams for the
G.C.E. (A/L). Students who had offered Arts subjects for the G.C.E.
(A/L) with Home Science as a subject were also eligible for admission to
the NCRM programme.
It was noted that the students who had
entered the NCRM Programme through the Arts stream had to face
insurmountable difficulties in understanding the science-based course
designed for this programme. Although the above admission procedure
would have been satisfactory for the previous Home Science Diploma
offered by the then Affiliated University College, this admission
procedure was discontinued to maintain the standard of the degree
programme in NCRM.
Introduction of Degree Programmes
With the establishment of the Rajarata
University of Sri Lanka, the Affiliated University College of the North
Western Province ceased to exist and as an interim measure, the students
who had completed all the requirements for the respective two year
diploma were admitted to the third year of the degree programme of the
new university. A special third year curricula and courses were
developed for these diplomates to satisfy the requirements for a standard B.Sc. level degree in the Faculties of Agriculture and Applied Sciences.
Status of Academic and Non-Academic Staff
Well-qualified staff is an asset to any
university to develop appropriate teaching and research programmes. In
this respect, the Wayamba Campus, unlike many of the other newly
established universities in the provinces, was fortunate in recruiting
qualified staff due to its closeness to the capital city of Colombo,
availability of transportation and easy communication. The Faculty of
Agriculture was successful in recruiting a few senior staff and filled
all its professorial positions from the very inception. In the Faculty
of Applied Sciences, the recruitment of staff was more difficult due to
the dearth of qualified personnel in the areas selected for the degree
programmes. There were only two senior staff members in this Faculty
and that too only in the Departments of Mathematical Sciences and
Nutrition & Community Resources Management.
Establishment of the Wayamba University
The
need for restructuring of the degrees offered by the new universities
was a priority in the governments’ national educational reforms. The
major issue was that the degrees offered, whether by the traditional or
the newly established universities, should focus on the future needs of
the country and that they should develop appropriately trained human
resources with necessary competence and skills to man development
projects. Therefore the new universities were expected to develop new
degree programmes encompassing appropriately designed courses which
could cut across departments of study, adopt modern teaching – learning
techniques and evaluation procedures, while rationalizing the human and
other available resources. Therefore, the training of undergraduates in
the conventional system was no longer viable and the emphasis was to
make the best use of the investment on higher education by producing
graduates who were employable in sectors where job opportunities would
be available in the future.
In 1998/1999, the University Grants
Commission appointed a Committee chaired by Prof. H.P.M. Gunasena, a
former Rector of the Wayamba Campus, to address the above issues and
make recommendations in the context of establishing a new university in
the administrative district of Kurunegala.
According to the recommendations of the Committee and in consultation with the University Grants Commission, late Honourable
Richard Pathirana, then the Minister of Education and Higher Education
established the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka with effect from 01st
of October, 1999 for the purpose of providing, promoting and developing
higher education in the branches of learning of Applied Sciences,
Business Studies & Finance, Agriculture & Plantation Management
and Livestock, Fisheries & Nutrition.
Accordingly, the following Faculties and
Departments of Study were assigned to the Wayamba University by the
Government Notification in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 1093/8 issued on the 13th of August, 1999 in Colombo:
Faculty |
Departments of Study |
|
Agriculture and Plantation Management |
Agri Business Management |
|
|
Biotechnology |
|
|
Horticulture and Landscape Gardening |
|
|
Plantation Management |
|
|
|
|
Applied Sciences |
Computing and Information Systems |
|
|
Electronics |
|
|
Industrial Management |
|
|
Mathematical Sciences |
|
|
|
|
Business Studies and Finance |
Accountancy |
|
|
Banking and Finance |
|
|
Business Management |
|
|
Insurance and Valuation |
|
|
|
|
Livestock, Fisheries and Nutrition |
Applied Nutrition |
|
|
Aquaculture and Fisheries |
|
|
Food Science and Technology |
|
|
Livestock and Avian Sciences |
Present Status : Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
The Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
marked a decade of existence in 2009 since being granted the autonomous
status in 1999. Over these years, the major
consideration in designing degree programmes at the Wayamba University
was the practicality and relevance of courses of study for emerging
development needs of the country, with the objective of ensuring a high
employability of graduates produced by the Faculties. The Wayamba
University graduates were expected to be enriched with scientific skills
and competencies demanded by employers.
consideration in designing degree programmes at the Wayamba University
was the practicality and relevance of courses of study for emerging
development needs of the country, with the objective of ensuring a high
employability of graduates produced by the Faculties. The Wayamba
University graduates were expected to be enriched with scientific skills
and competencies demanded by employers.
The practicality of the courses was
enhanced by orienting the course content towards practical needs rather
than an excessive orientation in theory. Nevertheless, the theory and
principles of disciplines were not neglected but retained as the
foundation in the initial years of study. The specializations were in
practical applications rather than in advanced theoretical knowledge,
often inapplicable to the industry. The employability of the graduates
was further enhanced by subjecting them to six-month to one year period
of industrial training during the last academic year, which requires the
submission of a comprehensive report based on the hands-on experience
gained by the students. The respective Faculties arrange such
industrial training components for their students through faculty level
coordinators.
It is the well-qualified academic staff
that provides the major impetus in delivering all academic programmes of
the Faculties. The junior staff is provided with training on
pedagogical skills and other aspects of student-centred
learning by the Staff Development Unit of the University. Apart from
the credit-based learning, directly facilitated by the Faculties,
significant contributions are made by the English Language Teaching
Units, Information & Communication Technology Centres
and the Career Guidance Unit to enhance a variety of students’ skills
to impart that competitive edge in finding suitable employment upon
graduation.
The Libraries of the University have
vastly improved their facilities to provide an ideal independent
learning environment for the students, with both traditional and on-line
access to library resources.
Further, the extra-curricular training
provided by the Physical Education Unit through a variety of sports and
games has been effective in the making of many versatile graduates
enriched with sports skills and achievements at inter-university level.
The outcome of all these activities over
the past years has been very impressive, as was revealed by a recent
survey on the Employability of Wayamba University Graduates, conducted
by the External Affairs Unit of the Wayamba University. This survey has
found the following employability rates of the graduates produced by
the four Faculties:
|
Agriculture & Plantation Management |
- |
70% |
|
Applied Sciences |
- |
93% |
|
Business Studies & Finance |
- |
82% |
|
Livestock, Fisheries & Nutrition |
- |
94% |
It should be mentioned that the verity
of the above figures has been confirmed in an independent study by the
Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century (HETC) Project of the
Minister of Higher Education, which has produced even better rates of
employability among the graduates produced by all the Faculties of the
Wayamba University.
The general & financial
administration led by the Registrar & Bursar together with their
Administrative Officers have immensely contributed to the development of
much needed infrastructure facilities, which the Faculties have
utilized fully to create more higher educational opportunities for the
Advanced Level Students qualifying for university entrance.
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