In an era in which social environment undergoes rapid change the demand for trained personnel in management of industry, commerce, business and also public institutions has been increasing. Expanding economic activities both domestic as well as international spheres make it necessary to develop human resources that have the ability to conduct complex management functions. In our march towards making Sri Lanka the wonder of Asia, the contribution from the private sector is vital to it innovative, forward looking and strong and it's a must that the country has skilled and energetic management professionals.
The demand for management professionals can be gauged by looking at the amount of advertisements in news papers offering various types of courses in management related fields by both private as well as government institutions. The number of management related job vacancies advertised in various media too is another indication of this demand. In a knowledge driven economy organizations strive to cater for those in employment as well as those would be employees be equipped with those skills and competencies necessary for their own survival in volatile market. There is an ever growing demand for undergraduate, postgraduate level management programmes, as the carrier opportunities in the management field are dynamic, diverse and virtually unlimited.
Conventional university system in Sri Lanka can cater only to a small percentage of students who get through their A/L's. Majority of those who fail to enter the conventional universities in the country either go aboard for further education or enroll in public/private institutions that offer management programmes. All these options are costly. Institutions that offer nationally and internationally accredited programmes charge exorbitant fees. As the Ministry of Higher Education has made a policy decision to limit the number of students that can register for external degrees at conventional universities has imposed another limitation for those who genuinely pursue higher studies for career advancement. .
While there is an ever growing demand for trained management professionals the institutional set up in the island is not producing management professionals in adequate numbers to meet the growing demand. In simple terms there is a vacuum and a reasonable number of persons, especially those who live in outskirts continue to miss opportunities for gaining an education in management, particularly at Degree and Masters Level.
In this backdrop the Open University of Sri Lanka renders an invaluable service by catering to those who aspire to obtain degree level qualification in management by offering a Bachelor of Management Studies Degree Programme popularly known as the BMS degree. The Open University of Sri Lanka known among many as OUSL was established in 1980, is a national university and has the same legal and academic status as any other conventional university in Sri Lanka. Above all OUSL utilizes the fourth generation Open Distance Learning methodologies to ensure that those obtain its qualifications are assured of going through rigorous quality checks and standards. Therefore the academic programmes offered by the OUSL are ideally suited for employed adults in particular and these programmes have been designed in such away enabling the persons to follow them at their own pace while working in their own place of work /residence. The open learning system, hence paves the way for persons from different age groups and from different parts of the country pursue higher education and become partners of Sri Lanka's journey towards progress.
The OUSL consists of four faculties, namely the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering Technology, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Education. The Department of Management Studies whose objective is to be the centre of excellence for continuous upgrading of the managerial skills through distance, open and continuing education in this country, comes under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The Bachelor of Management Studies Programme, four year special degree was introduced by the Department of Management Studies in 1998 which is committed to achieve excellence in teaching, learning, training and research activities with a view to producing graduates who are capable of meeting business challenges of the 21st century.
Arrangements have been made to issue applications for the said programme from 16th October 2011 to 18th November, 2011 and this is a unique opportunity for those who intend to obtain a degree level qualification from a recognized university in Sri Lanka. Although the study materials of the degree programme is provided only in English medium, the students can follow the programme in Sinhala, Tamil and English media. This provides an excellent opportunity for those who live throughout the country to follow a degree level programme without traveling to Colombo as this is offered through the OUSL study centers scattered around the Island. Therefore now it is your turn to grab this opportunity and gain a nationally recognized degree in management from the Open University of Sri Lanka as this will undoubtedly improve your carrier opportunities in the field of management.
Deepal L Bataduwa Arachchi
Senior Consultant
Dept. of Management Studies
OUSL
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