Oxford College of Business was established in 2003 and has strongly emerged as a topmost tertiary and higher educational institute in Sri Lanka earning local and international fame and popularity. Recently the college relocated to its new premises at Thurstan Road, Colombo 7, which is better known as the educational hub of Sri Lanka. The Sunday Times spoke to Mr. Upul Daranagama, Managing Director of Oxford College of Business, to find out more about the programmes that they offer.
"Most of the time students are unaware of the higher educational opportunities that are available in Sri Lanka for earning a recognized international degree at a very reasonable cost. Presently we are mainly concentrating on the areas of Business Management, English Language and Teacher Training. Our main partners are in the UK, where we have partnered with many leading universities and colleges.
Mr. Upul Daranagama, Managing Director of Oxford College of Business |
We have affiliated with the Association of Business Executives (ABE) UK, which is a world renowned professional body in the UK to offer business management courses", says Mr. Daranagama.
ABE offers programmes in Business Management, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Travel & Tourism and Information Technology. This qualification starts from the Certificate stage and then moves on to Diploma and Advance Diploma stages. Students who have completed their Ordinary Levels or those without Ordinary Levels but with work experience can apply for the Certificate stage. All three levels take two years duration period after which a student can directly go to the final year of a Bachelors Degree. This final year can be done in Sri Lanka or students can complete this level in Australia or UK according to their choice. ABE courses are currently conducted in over 70 countries around the world and are equivalent degree level qualification.
Oxford College has also been accredited by ABE to offer the Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management. This course is ideal for those who are in the middle and senior management. It is a QCA approved qualification and will enable participants to gain entry to Masters Degrees. "We are also affiliated with the Worcester University in the UK and St.Patrick's College- UK, especially to recruit students to UK.
In Australia we are affiliated with the Australian Institute of Business Administration (AIBA), and were the first to launch the part time one year MBA programme in Sri Lanka which is a very cost effective and highly recognized programme in Australia. This is an Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) registered qualification, which is the highest level of accreditation and acceptance in Australia. This MBA is also registered with the Commonwealth Registration for Institutions and Universities", further stated Mr. Daranagama.
Oxford College has also affiliated with India, Philippines and China mainly for student recruitment matters. The college sends many students for MBBS studies in the English medium, especially to the Philippines. The Philippines education system is parallel to that of America, since it was earlier an American colony the Philippine educational qualification is highly recognized in America. Oxford College is also the largest institution in Sri Lanka to have affiliations with universities in China. The college has at present signed up with eight universities in China, to recruit students mainly for Business Management, MBBS, Neurotical Sciences and Biotechnology in the English medium.
Oxford College is also famous for its English Language training programmes, which include the very popular course named as Total Immersion in English. This course is structured to provide students a greater confidence in the general use of English, techniques of listening and understanding and an opportunity to develop their presentation and communication skills.
In the future Oxford College also plans to provide a full time degree programme for students in Sri Lanka, in association with reputed Universities in the UK & Australia. "We have personally visited all of our affiliated universities and can guarantee that their facilities are second to none. Although 50% of students pass the Advanced Level examinations, which is estimated at around 125,000 our local university system can only accommodate, 18,000 such students. We therefore offer students an alternative pathway to achieve their educational dreams. Students now have the ability to follow our programmes even without Ordinary Level qualifications to obtain an international qualification. Institutions such as ours always partners with high quality accredited universities and institutions in the UK and other countries, and is continuously monitored and evaluated by our partnered universities to ensure that we keep to the said international standards", concluded Mr. Daranagama.
With so many institutions offering international qualifications, parents as well as students has in most cases been mislead by certain educational institutions offering non accredited foreign qualifications. The best way to verify the accreditations of the courses and institutions is to log on to the government website of UK which is www.acreditedqualifications.org.uk. If any student or parent wishes to find out about USA based accredited educational qualifications, they should approach the American Center, which is located at Inner Flower Road to get the required information.
Students of Oxford College of Business now have the unique opportunity to obtain an international qualification that will not only enhance their career but also enable them to reach their career objectives and aspirations, in a cost effective manner even when the state university system lets them down. |
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