Two Faculties and Four Schools of CIIHE expected to internationalize Sri Lankan Private Higher Education
View(s):The Colombo Institutes Group, one of south Asia’s leading Private Higher Education Organisations announced a major restructuring of its partner institutes, as a crucial step in its strategic plan to achieve its goal of becoming a Leading Academic and Research Institution in Asia.
As a result, with effect from January 2019, CIRP (Colombo Institute of Research & Psychology), CITHM (Colombo Institute of Tourism & Hospitality Management) and CIHE (Colombo institute of Higher Education), the three institutes that delivered programmes in Psychology, Hospitality and Business as separate campuses, will be brought under Colombo International Institute of Higher Education (CIIHE).
CIIHE will consist of two faculties; the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences and the Faculty of Business & Management. The Faculty of Health & Life Sciences includes the School of Psychology and the School of Health & Sports Science. The Faculty of Business & Management includes the School of Business and the School of Hospitality & Tourism. As a result of this new university structure, CIIHE would deliver academic programmes through four schools belonging to the two faculties.
The Legacy of CIRP
CIRP, the largest and most popular of the three institutes will continue as CIIHE School of Psychology. CIRP is the most prominent brand for Psychology Education in South Asia and as such, becoming a School under the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences of CIIHE is an important step in its internationalization. Currently, about 20% of its students are international students and with the restructuring, the goal is to increase the international student population to 40% by the end of 2019. Under the new organisational structure, key changes are expected within CIRP as well. CIIHE School of Psychology will continue the legacy of CIRP, enhancing its strengths and making the necessary changes, based on student feedback.
As a result of the restructuring, CIIHE School of Psychology (CIRP) has established several new academic partnerships over the last few months. While CIRP’s long term academic partner, Coventry University will continue as a progression partner, University of Northampton will be the Main Academic Partner for the programmes delivered within Sri Lanka, under CIIHE. These strategic changes have paved the way to offer a range of combined Degrees in Psychology from the September 2018 intake, which has become very popular amongst students. Furthermore, identifying the trends in student preferences, CIIHE has also established partnerships with several Top Australian Universities, including University of Western Australia, Deakin University and Edith Cowen University.
CIIHE School of Business
The School of Business of CIIHE is expected to uplift the standards of Business and Management Education in the country. With hundreds of colleges and campuses offering Business Programmes of varying standards of quality in teaching and assessing, Business Education has become a very competitive field. This competition has lead most campuses to offer Degrees at a very low fee, by resorting to substandard delivery of Business Education. CIIHE plans to offer quality Business Education at International Level for a reasonable fee, to turn out Graduates who are readily employable in the global business setting of today.
CIIHE School of Hospitality & Tourism
CITHM, Sri Lanka’s International Hospitality School will continue as CIIHE School of Hospitality and Tourism, under CIIHE. Hospitality being the field with the most number of vacant positions in the country at present and with the obvious fact of the demand only expected to increase in the future, it is a must that we attract capable and talented youth to take up careers in hospitality. While hospitality training is infested with mushrooming institutes offering 2 to 3 month courses that have no value in the long run, CIIHE offers qualifications which are accepted globally. With its partners in Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and Switzerland, they are able to produce Globally Employable Hospitality Graduates, to serve the industry in Sri Lanka and all around the world.
Phases of Restructuring
The restructuring is based on the findings and recommendations of a panel of experts from an international higher education consultancy group, who carried out a systematic review of the current structure, its strengths and limitations, feedback from staff, students and partners, the future goals of the organisation and the trends in the local, regional and international education industry.
Considering the challenges of restructuring an ongoing academic institute with over 800 students studying at CIRP alone, the strategic step-by-step approach implemented by the Senior Management, with the guidance of the review panel, made the restructuring a very smooth process with absolutely no disruptions to the students or their academic activities.
Reviewing started almost a year ago and the Senior Management have been making the changes required for the restructuring for over six months. These preparations included negotiations with its International Partners, curriculum development and achieving accreditations for the new programmes, changes in Human Resources by creating new positions and attracting individuals with the required expertise and expanding the infrastructure to facilitate the increase in the student and staff population, along with the new programmes.
Infrastructure Development
The infrastructure development has already been completed, with the addition of the new ‘Landside Campus’, a four story, 30,000 square foot building, located right opposite the current campus, which will be called the ‘Seaside Campus’, with immediate effect. This will double the space previously occupied by the institute, making CIIHE the largest, or at least one of the Largest Private Campuses in Colombo. The new Landside Campus is designed for an excellent student experience, with state-of-the-art facilities which include an Auditorium, ‘Flipped Classrooms’ for more interactive teaching and learning, a bigger Library, an IT Resource Centre for online Library Access, a spacious Food Court and a Recreation Area for Students, a Rooftop Cafeteria, spaces for Aesthetic Activities such as Dancing, Choir and Band Practices, Student-Staff Meeting Rooms, Individual and Group Study Spaces that could be reserved as well as space for other Learning Resources and Support Staff Offices.
Another significant change is the upgrading of the Counseling & Psychotherapy Centre, maintained by the CIIHE School of Psychology, to provide Psychological Services to the community and to train Counselors and Psychologists, apart from assisting students in their psychosocial issues. It is being relocated from its current site in Bethesda Avenue, Colombo 04 to a new, more spacious building down St. Albans Place, Colombo 04.
Furthermore, in order to facilitate the International Students, CIIHE has already opened its Student Accommodation Facility, within walking distance to the two campuses. Students are provided with individual as well as shared accommodation, with all facilities provided in-house.
Changes in the Top Management
The investments required for these changes and restructuring came from Local as well as Foreign Investors, who were attracted to the success of CIRP over the last 8 years. Within a short period of 8 years and only offering Psychology, CIRP was able to establish itself as a Leading Private Education Provider, not only in the country but also in the South Asian Region. In the Sri Lankan Private Education Industry, it is competing well with organizations that were established over 20 – 25 years ago. CIRP has pioneered many initiatives in the Academic and Research Fields that have immensely benefited the community. The financial stability and continuous growth shown by the organization has achieved the trust of its investors.
Along with these changes, new faces with international exposure, plus experience and expertise in global higher education will join the CIIHE top management in the weeks to come. Soon, CIIHE will be announcing the changes in its top management, along with the new academic and administration leadership.
For more information, talk to one of our Student Counsellors on 0112 507071 / 2, visit our campus at No. 230, Galle Road, Colombo 04 and talk to one of them personally, or ‘Like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ciiheSrilanka, or even email us on info@ciihe.com and we will be more than happy to help you get going on your path to a successful future.