University of Kelaniya
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University of Kelaniya
| Motto | Pññāya Parisujjhathi Pali, (Wisdom Empowers). |
|---|---|
| Established | 1959 |
| Vice Chancellor | Prof. M. J. S. Wijeyaratne |
| Location | Dalugama, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka |
| Enrollment | Undergraduate Postgraduate |
| Staff | 771 Academic 637 Non Academic |
| Campus | Primary - Kelaniya, Sri Lanka Medical - Ragama, Sri Lanka |
| Website | www.kln.ac.lk |
The University of Kelaniya is one of the main State Universities of Sri Lanka. Situated just outside the municipal limits of Colombo, in the ancient and historic city of Kelaniya, the University boasts two major campuses, seven locations, six faculties and four institutions.
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[edit] History
The University of Kelaniya has its origin in the historic Vidyalankara Pirivena, founded in 1875 as a centre of learning for Buddhist monks. It was one of the two great national centres of traditional higher learning, heralding the first phase of the national movement and national resurgence.
With the establishment of modern Universities in Sri Lanka in the 1940s and 1950s, the Vidyalankara Pirivena became the Vidyalankara University in 1959, later the Vidyalankara Campus of the University of Ceylon in 1972 and, ultimately, the University of Kelaniya in 1978.
[edit] Affiliated Institutes
- Post Graduate institute of Pali and buddhist studies
- Post Graduate institute of Archaeology
- Gampaha Wikramarachchi Ayurveda Institute
[edit] Faculties
[edit] Faculty Of Science
The Faculty of Science started functioning in October 1967 with the intake of the first batch of students numbering 57. Formal approval for the Faculty was given by the Minister of Education in 1968.
The Faculty was housed in the main building known as the “Science Block”. Due to the continued increase in the student intake from year to year, a new Lecture Theatre Complex and an Auditorium were constructed in 1992, which enabled the intake of students to be increased to 450 in 2003. A new laboratory complex for the Chemistry Department and three buildings for the Departments for Industrial Management, Microbiology and Zoology have now being completed; once they become operational, the annual admissions can be increased further.
The Faculty of Science of the University of Kelaniya was the first among the Sri Lankan Universities to initiate the change over from the traditional three subject (General) degree with end of year examinations to a more flexible Course Unit System, i.e. a modularized credit based system within a two-semester academic year with the end of semester examinations. It offers a variety of course pathways designed to provide maximum possible flexibility in the choice of subjects. Under this system students have the option of reading for a traditional three subject degree or for a degree consisting of two principal subjects and a selection of course units drawn from other subject areas. The B.Sc. (Special) degree courses, begun in1974, have also adopted the course unit system since as of 1986. The course unit system produces graduates who can fit into a wide variety of jobs, as they are equipped with pragmatic skills in addition to academic knowledge.
[edit] Mission of the Faculty of Science:
The Mission of the Faculty of Science of the University of Kelaniya is to produce highly motivated graduates and postgraduates capable of making a significant contribution towards national development and the well being of mankind, to conduct research and provide advice and consultancy services invarious scientific discipline to foster a better understanding of the environment for sustainable use and conservation of natural resources.
Presently, the Faculty of Science consists of eight Departments as follows:
- Department of Botany
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Industrial management
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Microbiology
- Department of Physics,
- Department of Statistics and Computer Science,
- Department of Zoology
[edit] Faculty Of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Kelaniya is situated in a spacious 35 acre campus at Ragama. It is one of six medical schools in Sri Lanka. The Faculty commenced classes with the admission of 120 students in September 1991.The first batch of students completed their five year course and graduated MBBS in September 1996. From 2004, the Faculty has adopted an organ-system based integrated curriculum.
Today, the faculty has over 1000 students on its roll.This number includes several foreign students, mainly from other South Asian countries, who have been admitted on a fee levying basis.The Faculty also welcomes students for elective appointments and many students from medical schools in Europe, USA and Australia have spent their elective periods with us.
There is a permanent academic staff of over 90 and in addition, there are over 40 temporary academic staff and over 60 visiting staff that includes consultants who are based in the affiliated teaching hospitals.
[edit] Faculty Of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities is a fine blend of the East and the West in that it includes traditional disciplines associated with Buddhist and Asian cultures, such as Pali and Buddhist Studies, Sinhala, Tamil, Sanskrit, Hindi, Japanese and Chinese, while teaching courses in modern European languages such as English, French, German and Russian.
The Department of Western Classical Culture and Christian Culture also adds another dimension to the curricula of the Faculty, providing the students with a multicultural choice in selecting subjects. The English Language Teaching Unit, which is attached to the Faculty of Humanities, provides an inter-Faculty service in that it conducts English courses in all the Faculties of the University. In addition to its strength as the centre of excellence in the teaching of language and culture, the Faculty of Humanities includes the Departments of Fine Arts and Linguistics, which provide theoretical and applied training and analysis in aesthetics and language study.
[edit] Faculty Of Social Sciences
Faculty of Social Sciences consists of seven Departments as follows
- Archaeology
- Economics
- Geography
- History
- Library And Mass Communication
- Philosophy
- Sociology
[edit] Faculty Of Commerce and Management
[edit] Faculty Of Graduate Studies
[edit] Services
- Centre for Enterprise Management Information Service (CEMIS)
- Computer Center
- English Language Teaching Unit
- Library
- Department of Physical Education
- Staff Developmetn Unit
- Career Guidance Unit
