Prime Minister’s Media Unit

Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said in today’s digital world, a digital hub is an essential resource base for students to have access to modern knowledge. Opening the new Digital Hub at the BMS, premier university on business management, he said the move by BMS to set up its Digital Hub to connect all those involved in learning to a common net is timely and in line with the government policy.

Like the income divide between the rich and the poor countries, there is a digital divide also between them. This need not be the case. The government has taken effective action to eliminate this divide by improving the digital literacy of fellow Sri Lankans. It is a difficult path but not an impossible one. The government expects the private sector entities to join hands with it in this enterprise,” he said.

The Prime Minister pointed out that digital systems could be used to create ideas, information and to define, design and implement digital solutions, and evaluate these solutions and existing information system against specific criteria. Fundamentally a digital hub creates a space for academics and students to develop technical skills, literacies skills, and ways of thinking that we understand to be essential to their long-term effectiveness as professionals.”

Stressing the importance of time resource of students, the Prime Minister pointed out that there are no undue delays in declaration of results of school and university examinations in most of the countries. He said the government is legally bound to declare results of GCE and university examinations without any delay to prevent wasting of valuable time of the students.

Premier Gunawardena, praising the private sector universities and institutions that utilize their resources from morning to late night holding several teaching sessions for different batches of students, lamented that the government sector school resources are locked up from 2.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. on the following morning totally unutilized.

Today, the BMS, with its excellent track record behind, has evolved into a degree awarding institution approved by the government. I expect BMS to offer its own degrees in management, law, nursing, and biomedical and biotechnology fields soon,” he said.

BMS President Dr W A Wijewardena said it was on a request made by the Prime Minister that BMS has opened a Digital Hub to facilitate high-tech learning facilities to students.

Students in Sri Lanka as well as in neighbouring countries can secure access to university degree studies with the partnership which BMS has formed with Northumbria University, UK and several other top universities abroad.

Former BMS President Dr Jayatissa de Costa, PC, BMS Board Members Dr Gamini Samaranayake and Dr Sriyani Peiris, faculty and students were present on this occasion.