Sri Lankan economists’ body wants young professionals to join the organisation
View(s):The Sri Lanka Economic Association (SLEA), the country’s main body of economists, is urging younger economists to join the organisation and contribute to enhance the profession and also nation building.
“We need more younger people (in the association),” said SLEA President Prof. A.D.V.S. Indraratne speaking to reporters at the OPA headquarters in Colombo last week during an interactive discussion between SLEA member-economists and journalists.
“We are targeting young professionals and students and we believe that this would help to cultivate the importance of economics in the young minds who will take up greater responsibilities in the future,” he added.
Prof. Indraratne said the organisation is now 30 years old and has several new, progressive plans including building its own premises, in moving forward.
The veteran economist joined seven other first generation, post-colonial economists in Sri Lanka – Dr, Gamani Corea, Dr. Jayantha Kelegama, Dr. H.N.S. Karunatilaka and four others – to form the association, 30 years ago in 1985.
It has been operating from a room in the OPA office but will soon move into its own building.
The SLEA is putting up a 4-storey office complex on its own 30-perch land at Colombage Mawatha, Colombo 5 for which the design has been prepared by Locana Gunaratna, Architect/Planner and a Vice-President of SLEA.
The Rs. 50-70 million worth building will include an auditorium with about 125 seats; a common entrance lobby and a few other miscellaneous facilities.
The estimated total floor area will be around 10,000 sq ft. “The SLEA is now planning to raise funds or to seek investors for a collaboration to put up the headquarter building,” Prof. Indraratne said.