At a time when the Southern part of the country is beginning to be linked with the Northern peninsula, many opportunities which the students of the capital enjoy are beginning to expand to the long neglected student population in the Northern region of the country.

Left to Right: Nishan Fernando President, ICASL, Hennayake Bandara President, AAT, Bandula Gunawardena, Minister of Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Affairs, Douglas Devananda Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare, S. Swarnajothy, Auditor General.

Under the government orchestrated development programme 'Uthuru Vasanthaya' a new light of educational revival has reached the Jaffna peninsula with The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICASL) and the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AATSL) establishing their Regional Information Centre at the Jaffna College Undergraduate Department.

A ceremony to mark the opening of the Jaffna Information Centre was held on August 5, 2009 at the Jaffna College, which was graced by top government officials including Hon. Bandula Gunawardena Minister of Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Affairs and Hon Douglas Devananda Minister of Social Welfare and Social Services.

Praising this initiative of the ICASL and AAT, Mr. Noel A. Vimalendran welcomed the new Accounting bodies and predicted this could be the beginning of an intellectual revolution in the long neglected northern region of the country.

The ICASL and AAT also presented 20 scholarships for needy students in the region as a symbol of recognizing the hidden talents bestowed in the region. At this occasion Hon. Minister Bandula Gunawardena lauded the ICASL for taking this bold initiative of expanding their regional presence to the Northern region of the country and paving a clear educational path for the students.

He further stated it is the propaganda of the government to build the life skills of the youth of the province and produce productive citizens that would be of great use for the nation. Hon. Minister Douglas Devananda also speaking on the occasion said it gives him immense pleasure to see the long neglected northern region being developed and the people getting more opportunities to make their lives prosperous for the future generations.

The President of ICASL Mr. Nishan Fernando addressing the occasion said the newly established Regional Information Centre of the ICASL and AAT is bound to cater to the variable educational needs of the student population of the region including, registration for courses and exams, providing of information and advice for students who intend to build a career in the Accounting field. The President of AAT Mr. Hennayake Bandara articulated the value of the qualification of the two well reputed Accounting institutes and as to how generations of students would be benefited through them, adding further that the friendly staff of the Information Centre would guide the students with advice and assistance for their professional careers in the Accounting field.

The ICASL is a globally recognized accounting qualification that has served generations of students for the past 50 years with trust and dependability. Its recognition and affordability has attracted over 30,000 registered students at present and produced valued intellectuals who prosper in diverse business entities globally.

The AAT is also a well structured Accounting body reputed worldwide, and was established in Dec. 1987 on the model of AAT (UK). AATSL is a non profit organization, which has so far done well to produce 14,000 passed out finalist nurturing the hidden potential of students of the country. Therefore high expectations could be placed on the long journey these institutions would head with the students of the northern peninsula.