The University of Colombo to offer another Postgraduate Programme through Mobitel's mLearning platform

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Colombo - 11th January, 2010

Sri Lanka's National Mobile Services Provider - Mobitel signed yet another strategic partnership with the University of Colombo which enables the Department of Economics of the Faculty of Arts to offer a Diploma in Travel and Tourism Economics and Hotel Management through mLearning, a unique mode of learning. The diploma is specially designed to respond for the increasing demand for multi-skilled travel and tourism professionals who must be able to take responsibilities for a wide range of complex industry processes under the present challenges of changing global trends in the travel and tourism industry. This diploma gives an opportunity for travel and tourism sector personnel to benefit from studying at a well recognized national university in Sri Lanka.

This learning platform takes advantage of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies incorporating multiple user interactive video conferencing features, slides, virtual smart boards, material upload facilities, content management facilities, and also SMS, email and offline messaging. The system portrays a class room setting adding a complete interactive element to the learning experience. Most importantly, the mLearning platform breaks traditional barriers education therefore promoting the right to higher education of all Sri Lankans.

Professor Kshanika Hirimburegama, Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo said "We now have three of our faculties offering courses via mLearning; the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Arts. And I see very positive progress in this mode of learning. This is undoubtedly the future for higher education. The University of Colombo and Mobitel collaboration has the tool to provide easier access to higher education, it is now up to any interested persons of this country to take full advantage of this platform and acquire knowledge and further their careers."

Speaking on the partnership, Mrs. Leisha De Silva Chandrasena, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel stated, "Mobitel's association with the University of Colombo started back in 2008 with the introduction of courses offered via mLearning at the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Following it's success, we had the privilege of partnering several other faculties at the University of Colombo on similar endeavours. Through each of these partnerships, we have been able to address the timely need to provide the opportunity for competitive young adults to realize their dreams for higher education via distance learning. We feel that this latest partnership with the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Arts has been initiated at an ideal time, where the country's tourism and economy is at a growth. We at Mobitel are proud to be a part of this great national initiative which we're confident will offer many opportunities to our youngsters awaiting entrance to the tourism and hospitality industries".

The Dean of the Faculty of Arts Professor Indralal De Silva stated "The significance of this particular course is immense due to the fact that most Hotels are located far from where education institutes are located. Therefore, for a person in this industry who wishes to further their education or qualifications, it is relatively difficult to attend classes frequently. For that reason most people don't advance their education once they start working as it may result in either them having to stop working for that time period or having to find work close to an institute which provides relevant education. The mLearning platform enables potential students to enhance their career opportunities by enriching their education at their own time frames and to allow them to get back into education at a convenience suitable for them".

Suren J. Amarasekara , CEO of Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel Said "The youth in our country have so much potential. Innovations such as this cater to the needs of the bright young knowledge hungry minds in Sri Lanka. mLearning can be seen as the future of higher education for the working executives. Its versatility enables for a higher learning experience and provides access to higher learning to anyone anywhere. To believe in a brighter future is to support our youth and promote their education, this is why we at Mobitel are proud to be a part of this significant endeavour".

Dr. D.A.C. Suranga Silva, Course Coordinator of the Tourism Diploma Programme stated "Mobile learning is convenient in the sense that it is accessible from virtually anywhere, and provides access to all the different learning materials available. It is also collaborative; sharing is almost instantaneous among everyone using the same content, which leads to the reception of instant feedback. mLearning also brings strong portability by replacing books and notes with portable devices filled with tailored learning content. This course and this mode of learning is therefore ideal for the busy hoteliers of Sri Lanka as it provides the freedom they need to pursue higher education whist operating at their respective careers. I am very enthusiastic of what mLearning has to offer for this education segment and I am adamant that prospective students will grasp it with open arms".

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel
Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, the National Mobile Service Provider and the Official Sponsor of the National Cricket Team, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka Telecom. In January 2004, the company launched its fully-fledged 2.5G GSM network that is EDGE/GPRS enabled and designed to operate on dual band. In December 2007, the company launched its 3.5G HSPA network - the first Super 3.5G network in South Asia. Further, Mobitel successfully demonstrated HSPA + MIMO technology with down link speed up to 28.8 mbps for the first time in the South Asian region. Investments committed to date in the 3.5G/2.5G networks and service offering amounts to over US$300 mn. The company plans to increase its combineed number of base stations to 3000 by the end of 2010.

From Left to Right: Dr. D.A.C. Suranga Silva - Course Coordinator, Tourism Diploma Programme, Professor Athula Ranasinghe - Head of Department, Department of Economics, Mr. N Selvakkumaran - Dean, Faculty of Law, Professor Indralal De Silva - Dean, Faculty of Arts, Professor Kshanika Hirimburegama - Vice Chancellor, University of Colombo, Mrs. Leisha De Silva Chandrasena - Chairperson Mobitel, Mr. Suren J Amarasekera - CEO Mobitel, Mr. Janaka Jayalath - Senior GM, Mobitel.