Education

I graduated in Social Science from the Open University of Sri Lanka. The other courses I followed in the past were ;

· Diploma in Journalism from the University of Colombo

· Diploma in International Relations from the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS)

· Certificate course in Proficiency in English

· Advanced Diploma in English from the Department of Official Language

· Certificate of Participation for the General Course conducted by the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI)

BA Degree

The bachelor’s degree in sociology I received in 2014 from the Open University help me to broaden my knowledge on different subjects. The course covered a wide range of subjects, including principles of sociology, economics, basic management, communication, information technology, statistics etc. Furthermore, it was this degree course that inspired me to look at the problems we face as a society from a sociological perspective. Problems do not arise spontaneously. It was, therefore, my great privilege to realize that the solutions for those problems should be proposed from an analytical and critical point of view.

Furthermore, the degree program was designed according to the distance education methodology. We had to self-study the printed books provided by the university and answer the assignments. In the meantime, I attended the day schools at the university once a month and had the opportunity to solve problems that arose during self-study. There, direct questioning of the relevant lecturers, different viewpoints of the students and conversations took place, developed a better understanding of the subject matter as well as the training and confidence needed to tolerate, accept or criticize other opinions. I was also motivated to learn more about the other subjects covered in the course. Since this degree course was designed to make it easier for us to study while working, I consider it was a privilege for me to find the time needed to pursue other courses as well.

Diploma in Journalism

Attending the Diploma in Journalism course conducted by the University of Colombo in 1998 was a very important milestone in my life. I have strong passion for the art of journalism since my childhood. The course was attended by eminent personalities in the field of journalism, artists and professors as lecturers. Newspapers, television, cinema, music, drama, literature and many other disciplines were covered here and it broadened my horizons. I was able to gain a broader understanding of the impact the media on a society.

It taught me the ethics of journalism, the skills a person needs to acquire, and enabled me, as a knowledgeable citizen, to look at the country's media behavior with a critical point of view, I was also able to participate in field trips to the Upali Newspaper Ltd. and the Television Training Institute to gain practical knowledge concerning media activities and was fortunate to be able to see firsthand view of how they operate. Also, Sinhala was included as a subject in this course and the knowledge imparted by well-known Professor J.B Dissanayake made up for the shortcomings in my Sinhala grammar and developed a love for the language. At the same time, the course was attended by people working in various organizations in the field, and in maintaining relationships with them, sharing their experiences further expanded my knowledge. Moreover, being able to build long-term friendships with them added value to my life.

The other important point regarding this course is submitting a dissertation. The title of my dissertation was 'Mahailuppallama Community Radio Service and Audience Response'. What was considered here was the reaction of the people to the concept of community radio which was prevalent at that time as a local means of communication. For this, I went to Mahailuppalama area in Anuradhapura, met the people and gathered the necessary information. This work was also one of the most memorable moments of my life. Because this was the first time in my life I carried such field research and I was very happy to be able to get to know the people in a rural environment and to understand their thoughts, aspirations and activities through conversations with them. The survey also found that the popularity of these community radio services, which were initially aimed at agricultural and rural development, were slowly declining among the emerging private radio and television channels. In addition to successfully completing the journalism course, this field study was very important to me as someone who has a constant focus and interest in the media and society.

Project Report

Diploma in International Relations

Ever since I was in school I have had a strong interest and passion for international politics. Wanting to do a scientific study on it, I joined the Diploma in International Relations course conducted by the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) in the year 2000. As a person who is interested and concerned about the society and politics of Sri Lanka, this course helped me to gain a broader understanding of the impact of international politics on our country and how we should deal with foreign countries to achieve our national goals.

The curriculum covered a wide range of topics such as Sri Lanka's political history and foreign policy, world political history, principles of political science, international organizations, international law, principles of international relations, regional cooperation etc. In particular, by following this course, I was able to break free from the island mentality and absorb the knowledge needed to look at the world with an open mind. Furthermore, we need to be well-versed in this field in order to understand the international trends, including the various ups and downs that are taking place in the world around us. What I am most satisfied with here is that I have been able to have a broader worldview by learning about this subject of international relations which is not of interest to most of the society.