Free–of-charge and full of wisdom
View(s):Volunteer organisation SL2College promises to help students navigate the ‘big business’ world of higher education
Going abroad can present quite a challenge for any student, but SL2College is promising to give young Sri Lankans the inside track – and free of cost. The volunteer organisation brings together a global community of Sri Lankan students, faculty members and entrepreneurs that provide advice and guidance regarding higher education for Sri Lankan students.
Nayana Samaranayake
Nayana Samaranayake began the organisation in 2005 in part because as someone studying abroad he found himself fielding a lot of questions from family and friends. “Along the way, I got a few friends involved and we slowly grew as an online forum,” he says explaining that in 2012 the group incorporated as a non-profit complete with an illustrious board of directors. They’ve been adding on services and expanding their reach ever since. Currently, they have over 500 advisors in over 15 countries ready and willing to answer questions posed by students. The site provides services in four main areas: Forums, Mentor Programme, Seminars and Articles. “We are building a platform and empowering Sri Lankans that want to help others,” says Nayana.
Users can access the group’s wisdom through their website or on Facebook where they are encouraged to post questions in various forums. The appropriate advisor then responds. “The main goal is for people who have gone through the process to help those that are just starting the process – students helping students,” he says. “Through the mentor programme we match students one on one with someone that has pursued the type of degree that the mentee is interested in. For example, if you want to do a PhD in Computer Science in the US and dream of getting to MIT, we will try to match you with someone doing a PhD in CS at MIT.”
SL2College also organises monthly seminars on different topics. The recordings of previous seminars are up at www.sl2college.org/seminar and are updated regularly. In fact, this month, they had two seminars – one online seminar covering the topic of studying medicine outside of Sri Lanka and the other a live seminar at Richmond College, for A/L students on how to prepare for the world after their exams. “For the seminar on medicine, we had speakers from different countries talking about the process, costs and how to return back and practice in Sri Lanka,” says Nayana.
The group also reach out to young readers by publishing articles written by the community members covering different aspects of higher education in Sri Lanka and outside – some of which find their way into local newspapers. The group’s focus is on really supporting young students and providing first-hand knowledge that isn’t biased. “Someone that has gone through the process will know all the things they did right and wrong,” he explains, adding, “another important thing is that we are a volunteer organisation and are not doing this for money.”
For Nayana this is critical in saving aspiring youngsters from the clutches of unscrupulous agents. Even agents who say they will help a student for free may still have a hidden agenda – they might push the student in the direction of a university that will give the agent a commission. “Education is a big business globally and Sri Lanka is no exception,” cautions Nayana, adding that while some students might rely on information provided by institutions, the brochures are unlikely to share the whole truth. “Every institute will try to appear as the best option for a student.”
However, SL2College isn’t just about helping people find ways to study abroad. They’re hard at work on creating a higher education institute ranking system for Sri Lanka. “This is a big issue for students when they try to figure out what local option they should take. The HEI survey was the first step in this direction. Students need to have a way to know all the local options and be able to identify how good they are.” Students can also for advice on applying for local universities and institutes and receive support.
Then there’s their ‘Brain Gain’ portal, to be launched in March, which is about helping people who would like to return home navigate the multitude of concerns such as finding a job, tax implications, immigration issues, living costs and education for children. The idea being, whether you’re going or coming, a friendly, experienced source could make all the difference to how smooth your transition is.
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