The Sri Palee Campus is the only campus of the University of Colombo. It was started by Guru Rabindranath Tagore, the founder of Santhinikethan in India, for the study of aesthetics in Sri Lanka. This beautiful piece of land was donated by a well-known Sri Lankan philanthropist, Wilmot A. Perera to achieve the purpose. This Institution was re-established as the Western Campus of the University of Colombo on June 24, 1996 and on September 11, 1998 by Extraordinary Gazette No.1044/37 it was renamed as the Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo.
The Sri Palee Campus which was started in this manner has now completed a quarter century. During that time the Sri Palee Campus achieved many victories. The present Rector, Dr. Prathiba Mahanamahewa who was the former Dean of the Faculty of Law and professor of Law at the University of Technology of Jamaica, West Indies joined us for a discussion marking the opening of the new administration building of the Sri Palee Campus.
Following are the excerpts:
Q: Greetings on your new appointment, Rector! How would you describe the uniqueness of the Sri Palee Campus at a time when a new change is about to be added to the campus?
Thank You! Infact, the area where the Sri Palee Campus is located is a very fertile land of over thirty acres. Wilmot A. Perera who gave this land to us was one of the most powerful leaders in the leftist campaign in this country. It is in this place that the ‘Sooriyamal Wyaparaya’, one of the most powerful milestone in that leftist movement, began. Also, Guru Rabindranath Tagore choose this land as a suitable place to build a replica of his ‘Santhinikethan’. These events are two very important moments in the history of Sri Palee. This is such a powerful territory. At present, Sri Palee Campus is the only Institution in Sri Lanka that offers a special degree in Mass Media. Also, the Sri Palee campus has the only campus radio owned by a University in Sri Lanka.
Q: Can you explain, what are the courses of study currently being offered and proposed to be offered by the Sri Palee Campus?
At present there are four main Academic Departments functioning in the Sri Palee campus. They are the Department of Mass Media, the Department of Performing Arts, the Department of Languages and the Department of Computer Studies. Out of these four departments the Department of Mass Media and the Department of Performing Arts award Bachelor of Arts special in Mass Media and Bachelor of Arts special in Performing Arts degrees respectively while other two departments award service courses which help undergraduates to improve their value in the job market.
It should be mentioned that we are currently preparing the basic plans required to transform these departments into faculties. We know it’s not a simple matter. It will take a long time. But it is my intention to do so. Because, we always try to give something better to students.
Q: In addition to the new Administration building to be opened, what are the existing infrastructure facilities of the Sri Palee Campus?
I am happy to say that we have the only community radio station owned by a University in Sri Lanka. It is very popular among the people of the area. Also, the Japanese government has given us a modern Audio Visual Unit. Anyone who has been to Sri Palee at least once knows how many trees there are in this land. We have even planned an organic fertiliser project using those natural resources. My target is that we should make Sri Palee a green campus. Also for the first time in a Sri Lankan University, we were able to hold an inaugural ceremony for the 2019/2020 academic year fully online. It is imperative to remind you that the Vice Chancellor, Senior Professor Chandrika N. Wijeyaratne is giving her full support to make all these activities a success so do the Senate.
Q: How is the connection that the Sri Palee Campus has built with the society after a quarter of a century and the work that is being done today are being taken to the society?
I am very happy to say that the Sri Palee Campus has a very good relationship with the society. Also, we are working hard to take what we are doing to the society. Because, I strongly believe that a campus is something that should be in society. The knowledge we produce in campus should be practically used in the society. Otherwise, our efforts will be in vain. Here we have a focus on employability. Because, our students have to deal with society, they have to be entrepreneurs in society. My hope is that instead of students finding jobs, jobs will pursue our students. For that we need to create graduates who fit for the updated society. Students come to our campus passing the A/L and another aptitude test. So, this is the essence of the best. Therefore, I can responsibly tell the society that Sri Palee Campus is a pool of talented people.
Q: Covid-19 brought about many changes in every field. Every Higher Education Institution in Sri Lanka turned to online education. How did Sri Palee Campus cope with this situation?
We were very successful there and of course, I have to thank my staff here. All Heads of Departments, Academic staff including Professors, Senior Lecturers, Lecturers, non-Academic staff, Security Forces and even Minor Staff are the large contributors to this success. Actually, our students have been getting used to online education since before the Covid-19 pandemic. We had a good learning management system maintained by our Department of Computer Studies. During the plague, we connected all the Students and Lecturers through it. We also uploaded recorded lectures for students who could not join the lectures at the real time. The exams for two semesters were conducted completely online and we are preparing for the third online exam. I must say it again, the commitment of my staff is truly commendable.
Q: As far as we know, Sri Palee Campus is a place where great knowledge is imparted. What are your thoughts on the research culture that is unique to Sri Palee Campus?
Even before I took over as the Rector, Sri Palee Campus had a media research center. Through this Media Research Center many surveys related to the media sector in Sri Lanka are carried out. A private media Institution has even made a request to us in this regard. We have also been able to train our students and direct them to Research Institutes. As far we know, the world today is in demand for empirical research. So we train our students for that. We have now proposed that each subject they study should be based on research.
Q: What are your future plans for the improvement of the Sri Palee Campus?
Well, I would definitely like to mention here the new program I have introduced called the ‘Rector-Student Dialog’. There is nothing wrong saying that what works is direct democracy. Because, once a month I meet all the students of the campus. They tell me their problems directly. As far as I know this is the first time such a thing has happened in a Sri Lankan University. In addition, we have an independent Grievance Committee that advocates for student issues. We are also planning to award the Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Media Studies through the Postgraduate Institute of the Sri Palee Campus. In addition, my future plan is to introduce Diploma Courses for children who are unable to enter the campus due to failing the aptitude test and to introduce Language Courses that can be attended by people in the area. In my view, the campus should not be a separate authority. It should be an Institution that interacts with society.
Q: Finally, what is your message to the University Community about the new change that will be added to the campus next week?
Yes! On November 17, Sri Palee Campus will receive a new Administration Building. I would like to state that this is a great opportunity for our students. At the same time, we hope to launch the ‘Communicology Journal’ and the ‘Human Library’ books. As the eternal goal of all these measures my goal is to turn the students who emerge from us into a group in demand and turn them into a group of creative entrepreneurs.
Finally, as the present Rector, I would like to pay tribute to all the founding fathers who worked hard to develop the Sri Palee Campus of the University of Colombo.