SL2College

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SL2College
Web address www.sl2college.org
Slogan "Bridging the gap in higher education"
Commercial? No
Type of site SL2College is a volunteer driven not-for-profit organization that promotes higher education in Sri Lanka.
Registration Required for some services
Available language(s) English
Launched 2005
Revenue NA
Alexa rank negative increase 1,467,967 (December 2013)[1]
SL2College is not affiliated with any universities or recruitment agencies that send students abroad.

SL2College is an educational not-for-profit organisation formed by a global community and driven by volunteers since its inception in 2005.[2][3][4][5] It helps Sri Lankan students with their higher education goals by providing free, accurate, in-depth and unbiased information about many aspects of higher education within Sri Lanka and overseas.[3][4][5] This goal has been achieved through many services provided on/around the website: www.sl2college.org. Some of its services include a forum on the website,[3][4] mentor program,[4][5][6] information seminars at local universities and schools across Sri Lanka,[4][5] exhibitions,[3][4][5] internship postings,[4][7] articles[3][4][8] and much more.[9] A list of the active projects through which SL2College services are provided can be found at SL2College Active Projects.

SL2College may be the first of its kind in Sri Lanka.[3][4] It is run by a global community of past and present Sri Lankan graduate students, faculty members and entrepreneurs located in many countries, including Sri Lanka, USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. They have diverse backgrounds and many of them have high school and undergraduate experience from Sri Lanka.[4] SL2College provides a platform for them to share their own experiences so that Sri Lankan students who plan to pursue higher education can learn about the best local and foreign choices available to them. SL2College has been helping Sri Lankan students to overcome their challenges, to achieve their education goals[4] and in doing so, has reached out to thousands of students.[3]

Challenges faced by Sri Lankan students

Sri Lanka is one of few countries in the world to provide free education to its people. It is therefore no surprise that Sri Lanka is able to proudly declare such a high literacy rate[10][11][12] and have so many students pursue higher education. The number of higher education options available to students has increased greatly over the past few years. However, a student who wants to pursue his or her higher education still has to consider various factors and face many challenges.[13][14]

One of the biggest challenges is the lack of seats in local public universities. Statistics over the years show that despite 60% of students who take the Advanced Level examination qualifying to enter university, only 14-16% are admitted.[11][12][13][15] This lack of space in public universities means that many students must consider alternative options. However, the lack of accurate information and guidance available to students is a cause for concern.[16]

The services of numerous ‘agencies’ claiming to send students abroad are not free and can be an expensive process. Many ‘agencies’ are in fact lucrative ‘businesses’. The media has also reported many incidents where such ‘agencies’ misled students and provided inaccurate information.[14][16][17][18][19] SL2College believes that the choice of higher education should not be considered lightly or left in the hands of people hoping to make money off unsuspecting students and parents.[4]

Early stages of SL2College (History)

In 2005, an interactive forum called “RoyalCollege2000” was formed[4] on Yahoo! Group (SL2College) by Nayana Samaranayake, an alumnus of Royal College, Colombo, Sri Lanka, who was studying for his Masters in Computer Science at Stanford University, USA. As Nayana was getting questions from students at Royal College about higher education in USA, he realised the need to create a platform that gave access to free, unbiased and up-to-date information.[4] “RoyalCollege2000” served this purpose and started as an informal project by the Royal College group of 2000. Students from anywhere in Sri Lanka could post their questions on the forum and those who had experience in the relevant field could answer.

Seeing the potential of this group, in 2007, the name changed from “RoyalCollege2000” to SL2College, as its main purpose was to help Sri Lanka students anywhere reach their higher education goals. Nayana was joined by Nishad Jayasundara and DC Jayasundera,[4] fellow students at Stanford University, and Sanjaka Wirasingha, who was studying at Illinois Institute of Technology and was involved with the group since 2005. They took SL2College to another level by forming www.sl2college.org, SL2College’s own website, in 2008.[4]

SL2College Vision

The vision of SL2College[20] is to achieve a future where:

  • Every Sri Lankan recognizes equal access to Education as a right and imperative;
  • Every Sri Lankan aspires to an outstanding Higher Education;
  • Every Sri Lankan has the access and tools to achieve the best possible Higher Education for him/herself and for Sri Lanka; and
  • Every Sri Lankan wherever s/he lives, contributes his/her knowledge selflessly to Sri Lanka’s development

SL2College Mission

The mission of SL2College[20] is to contribute to Sri Lanka’s Human Development by:

  • Breaking down information barriers between aspiring students and the best Higher Education suited to each student;
  • Democratizing and spreading more evenly the access to resources necessary to achieve an outstanding Higher Education;
  • Helping raise the quality of Higher Education and the wider education ecosystem in Sri Lanka;
  • Reconnecting Sri Lanka’s Commercial, Civil and State sectors with the best and brightest candidates irrespective of where those candidates received their qualifications;
  • Reversing the “brain drain” of bright young Sri Lankans out of Sri Lanka, achieving a “brain gain” of educated and enlightened individuals; and
  • Leveraging for Sri Lanka’s development the person-years and money that Sri Lankan taxpayers have invested by financing some of the best and brightest Sri Lankan academics and practitioners worldwide

Free access for information

SL2College, largely based online, may be the first of its kind in Sri Lanka and is a legal entity in Sri Lanka through the incorporation of the organisation as S L 2 College (Guarantee) Limited by the Registrar General of Companies on 17 December 2010.[8][21]

Currently SL2College is a global community of volunteers who have joined from USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Singapore, New Zealand and many other countries. These volunteers are mostly graduate students from diverse backgrounds and many of them have high school and undergraduate experience from Sri Lanka. They share their own experiences so that Sri Lankan students who plan to pursue higher education can learn about the best local and foreign choices available to them.

One of the most interesting aspect of SL2College is the opportunity it has provided for past and present Sri Lankan students and faculty living abroad to give back to Sri Lanka and be involved in a common cause - helping all Sri Lankans achieve their higher education goals and in turn, develop Sri Lanka’s human capital.

In its aim of accomplishing the vision and mission statements, SL2College believes that information about higher education should not come with a price tag[22] and therefore, all services are provided free of charge.[22] Further, SL2College never partners, gets sponsorships or any other financial/non-financial assistance from organisations that make profit from education related activities.[21] SL2College believes that it will lead to a conflict of interest and it might hamper their efforts of being completely unbiased.[21]

Services provided by the website

There are number of services provided by SL2College website for Sri Lankan students. These services are provided through number of projects handled by volunteers. These projects are found in SL2College projects.[9]

Online discussion rooms

One of the most popular event at university level are the Skype sessions, which brings graduate students and faculty from around the world in a virtual panel discussion with students at local universities in Sri Lanka.

‘Brain-Gain’

In May 2013, SL2College launched a brain gain initiative called www.WorkInSriLanka.lk. WorkInSriLanka is a volunteer-led initiative to advocate Sri Lanka as an attractive destination for highly skilled individuals and high caliber businesses. In the initial phase, WorkInSriLanka has developed a web portal that provides comprehensive information needed for relocation and links users with key industry bodies. WorkInSriLanka is actively engaged in building partnerships with key industries in Sri Lanka, while concurrently building a worldwide network to create awareness of the site and its services amongst educated professionals, mainly Sri Lankans, abroad. Beyond this information portal, future plans include the following:[23]

  • Become a channel for executive level job placement - provide networking and connectivity to high level positions which are often not openly advertised;
  • Showcase Sri Lanka as a preferred investment destination - optimising the five hub strategy, especially the knowledge hub focusing on ITES industries
  • Become an advocacy organisation - work with the government and others to further improve Sri Lanka’s attractiveness as the preferred relocation destination for experienced professionals

Forum

The forum is one of the most used resources on the SL2College website and can be accessed at: www.sl2college.org/distribution/. Students seeking information and guidance can post questions on the forum and moderators ensure that all questions are answered in a timely manner.[22] If a question goes unanswered for 48 hours, moderators go out of their way to find someone who can shed light on the question. Information related to many fields and countries are discussed and the forum acts as a platform to create dialogue. Some common topics of discussion include how to present the best application possible, what it is like to live on a campus in a foreign land, funding and scholarship opportunities, work experiences and much more. For new visitors to the website, past threads are a great way to obtain useful information.

Other Resources

SL2College encourages past and present undergraduate and graduate students, and those who have completed professional degrees, to share their educational experiences by answering questionnaires and writing articles. These are published weekly in the Sunday Observer’s Education section where SL2College has its own column and on the list of SL2College articles in the SL2College website. Articles range from advice on the application process, funding issues, housing in different countries and more. They are available in SL2College resources section.

Mentor Program

Students who are interested in higher education and are planning on applying to programs within 12 months are matched with an experienced mentor for a direct, one-on-one exchange of information and guidance for 3–4 months. Mentors and mentees who are interested in joining the program can visit SL2College Mentor Program.

Web Chats

SL2College organises ‘live’ web chats for students interested in higher education. Students joining from Sri Lanka can ask questions regarding their higher education ambitions from graduate students in USA and Canada. For more information visit SL2College Live Web Chats.

‘The Insider’

SL2College has a newsletter, ‘The Insider’, which is published on a quarterly basis. Events held at SL2college, introduction of new team members and other updates are published. It is sent to all members and made available on the website. Access News page on SL2College.

SL2College events calendar

Events related to higher education organised in Sri Lanka are posted on the SL2College events calendar at www.sl2college.org

Ongoing activities in Sri Lanka

Seminars at Local Schools/Universities

SL2College conducts information seminars at local universities and schools to discuss higher education opportunities in different countries. Lately, seminars involving Skype sessions have been organised on a regular basis. Graduate students based worldwide join on Skype to talk to audiences on various topics. For example, on 30 March 2011, nine graduate students, mostly alumni from University of Colombo (UoC) who are currently based in USA, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore, joined via a Skype conference call to talk about their graduate experiences to students at UoC.[24][25] There was a rich diversity of research experience among speakers on the panel as they represented fields of Biology, Maths, Physics and Computer Science.

University Clubs

SL2College clubs in universities are an extension of the main SL2College organisation. Club members organise events that promote higher education and highlight the many opportunities that are available to students interested in pursuing further education locally and abroad.

Internships

In line with the ‘Brain-Gain’ initiative, SL2College has launched a section on internships on the SL2College website. SL2College hopes that all Sri Lankans are able to perceive the opportunities and potential Sri Lanka holds, and graduates are encouraged to work in Sri Lanka.

Partnerships

SL2College has worked closely with many key local and foreign organisations, such as the Fulbright Commission and other government institutions.

Exhibitions

Some of the biggest education exhibitions in Sri Lanka, such as Edex and Future Minds, have recognised the important role SL2College’s provision of free, unbiased and up-to-date information plays in the education arena, and have given SL2College free space at their exhibitions.[8][25][26]

Ongoing activities worldwide

Adviser Base: Country teams

SL2College is continuing to expand and diversify its adviser base of mostly past and present graduate students of diverse backgrounds from many countries. Currently, teams of advisers have formed in US, Canada and Singapore. They are working on various projects to inform Sri Lankan students of opportunities in those respective countries. Advisers join the teams in various capacities such as forum adviser, skype session adviser, mentor, writers, etc.[21]

US – Sri Lanka lecture series with Sri Lankan faculty

The SL2College US Chapter is about to launch a new project in which Sri Lankan professors in the US will give a talk pertaining to their research and subject matter to university students in Sri Lanka. The project is initially being organised at University of Moratuwa and University [cite a news in sl2c web or so] of Colombo, and plans are under way for the event to be held at University of Peradeniya.[27] The intent of this lecture series is to make Sri Lankan students aware of current research programs in US and to build relationships between US universities and Sri Lankan faculty in local universities. These talks will be conducted via Skype video conference. It will give local students the opportunity to communicate in real time, in an academic setting, with Sri Lankan professors in US. Several professors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Mississippi, Texas State University, Clarkson College and College of Atlantic have shown their interesting in participating in this project as well.

Other avenues of online presence

YouTube Channel

SL2College has its own channel on YouTube where videos of past seminars and other educational videos of interest are posted: SL2College YouTube channel

Social media

SL2College has an online presence on various forms of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The Blog

Articles written by members at SL2College will be posted on the blog, where it can be discussed and any questions by readers can be answered by the writer. The SL2College blog is found at http://sl2college.blogspot.com.

The SL2College team

SL2College is an exceptional organization not only for the services it provides but also because of the individuals behind those services. SL2College is governed by a distinguished Board of Directors. A motivated, dedicated and visionary group of people who volunteer considerable time to SL2College form the core team at SL2College. They include the Administrative Directors, Country Coordinators and Program Managers. The auxiliary team at SL2College is made of Program Assistants, volunteers and well wishers.

Together, they ensure that the needs of specific projects are taken care of and the team functions efficiently. Although many in the team are working or studying full-time and have limited free time, everyone contributes passionately to SL2College because as Sri Lankans, they take pride in helping others.

The Directors of SL2College also admire people for their leadership, enthusiasm and innovation, and have made a pledge to recognize the efforts of core team members by giving them the opportunity to lead projects and grow within the organization. As part of this effort, each year, a core member is bought to the administrative team to take on greater responsibilities.[21]

Many of the successes and achievements at SL2College are a direct result of the great work and continuous support from all the core and auxiliary team members throughout the years.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sl2college.org Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2013-12-01. 
  2. ↑ Advancing the Sri Lankan tradition of free education - www.SL2College.org,The Sunday Times - Education, June 05, 2011, access June 06, 2011
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 SL2College advancing Sri Lankan tradition of free education by assisting thousands of students in Sri Lanka, Ozlanka news, access May 22, 2011
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 Advancing the Sri Lankan tradition of free education, LankaCube, access 22 May 2011
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Sl2college.org helps Sri Lankan students,News360.lk, access May 22, 2011
  6. ↑ SL2College Mentor Program, SL2College Mentor Program Details, access on May 17, 2011
  7. ↑ Internships on the SL2College, SL2College website, access on May 17, 2011
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "The Insider", SL2College website, 2011, access on May 17, 2011
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Current Projects, Active projects page on SL2College website, 2011, access on May 21, 2011
  10. ↑ Wikipedia, "Education in Sri Lanka on Wikipedia", accessed May 17, 2011.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Educational Indicators 1980 - 2009", University Grants Commission - Sri Lanka, 2007, accessed May 17, 2011.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "EDUCATION: PERFORMANCE OF CANDIDATES - GCE (O/L), GCE(A/L) AND ADMISSIONS TO UNIVERSITIES", Dept of Census and Statistics - Sri Lanka 2001, accessed May 17, 2011.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Sachini, Weerawardena. "Efficiency, a luxury in our Education System?", Daily Mirror, April 1, 2011, accessed May 17, 2011.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Maryam Azwer. "Watch Out For That (Visa) Fraud", Sunday Observer, May 8, 2011, accessed May 17, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Freeing Education", Lanka Business Online, June 17, 2010, accessed May 17, 2011.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Omar, RAJARATHNAM. "New regulations for UK student visas", Sunday Observer, April 10, 2011, accessed May 17, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Sri Lankan student arrested for UK visa application fraud", ColomboPage (Sri Lanka Internet Newspaper), Sep. 19, 2011, access Sep. 21, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Bogus Institutions", UNESCO, accessed May 17, 2011.
  19. ↑ "An article about agencies (in Sinhala language)", 'Rivira news paper', Mar 27, 2011, accessed May 17, 2011.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 SL2College Vision and Mission, SL2College web site, access 21 May 2011
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 "About us", SL2College website, 2011, access on May 17, 2011
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 "SL2College FAQs", FAQ page on SL2College website, 2011, access on May 17, 2011
  23. ↑ http://workinsrilanka.lk/about.php
  24. ↑ Join grad students in US, Canada, NZ & Singapore on skype! (A forum post on SL2College), SL2College forum, Mar 27, 2011, access on May 17, 2011
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 SL2College on Facebook, SL2College on Facebook, access on May 17, 2011
  26. ↑ ‘The Insider’, April 2011 edition, access on May 17, 2011
  27. ↑ SL2College Blog, SL2College website, access on May 17, 2011

External links

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