Eastern University, Sri Lanka

The Eastern University, Sri Lanka (abbreviated as EUSL) is a public university in Vantharumoolai, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. It was established on 1 October 1986. The university was preceded by the Batticaloa University College established on 1 August 1981 which was started in the buildings of the Vantharumoolai Madya Maha Vidyalayam.

At present, the university has a main campus at Vantharumoolai, Trincomalee Campus at Trincomalee, and the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS) at Kalladi, with the facilities of Library Network, Centre for Information and Communication Technology and Sports.

Like all public universities in Sri Lanka, it receives the bulk of its funding from the University Grants Commission (UGC), which is a part of the Ministry of Higher Education in Colombo.

History

The idea of having a Tamil university on the lines of Hebrew University of Israel in the Eastern Province was mooted in 1960 by a group of professors who taught at the University of Ceylon. The project was started by purchasing land near Nilaveli, Trincomalee and was abandoned later due to lack of funds. The project was revived by K. W. Devanayakam, a former home minister of the UNP government with the collaboration of Kalpage, Minister of Higher Education during 1981.

The Eastern University, Sri Lanka, was established on 1 October 1986 by a University Order dated 26 September 1986 which was issued under Section 2 of the Universities Act No: 16 of 1978 by the Central Government. The university was preceded by the Batticaloa University College established on 1 August 1981. The Batticaloa University College was established to fill a long-felt need for the development of a higher education institution in the Eastern Province. Its establishment was recommended by a Committee appointed by the University Grants Commission headed by Professor V. Appapillai, retired professor of Physics and dean of Science, University of Peradeniya and included Professor R.S. Ramakrishna, Professor Y.D.A. Senanayake, Professor S.T. Fernando, S.H.M.Jameel and Dixon Nilaweera.

K. W. Devanayagam, who at the time was Member of Parliament for Kalkudah electorate and Minister of Justice, took a personal interest in the establishment of the Batticaloa University College. It was established in the premises of the Vantharumoolai Madhya Maha Vidyalayam, a school built by the V. Nalliah, Minister for Posts and Telecommunication, Member of Parliament for Kalkudah electorate and Member of the Senate Council for Batticaloa North. The buildings had been badly damaged by a cyclone of 1978 and were repaired and progressively restructured to suit the purposes of a new University College. In addition, over 100 acres of land were added to the original campus. Student hostels and staff quarters have been constructed on this land and many new buildings are planned.

The Batticaloa University College began with two faculties: the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Agriculture. These faculties were affiliated to the University of Peradeniya. S. Rajaratnam was appointed as the director of the college and he functioned in this capacity until February 1985. K. Rajendra functioned as the first secretary of the college. He was succeeded by P. Sangaravel in June 1983. K. D. Arulpragasam was appointed S. Rajaratnam as director in April 1985. He successfully negotiated upgrading of the university college to an independent university and was appointed the first vice-chancellor, when the university came into being in October 1986. S. H. M. Jameel was appointed as the first registrar.

Location

The eastern region of Sri Lanka comprises the districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara, and covers an area of approximately 980,000 ha, about 15% of the total land area of the island. The population of one million is largely rural, with around 75% being engaged in agriculture and 15% in fishing.

The main administrative block of the Eastern University, Sri Lanka (senate building) is in Vantharumoolai, Chenkalady, which is on the Batticaloa-Pollanaruwa main road, about 18 km north of Batticaloa town and four faculties: Faculty of Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Commerce & Management and Faculty of Arts & Culture are housed here. Faculty of Health-Care Sciences situated 15 km from Vantharumooali in Batticaloa which is offering MBBS and BSc Nursing degrees. Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies is 3 km from the Faculty of Health Care Sciences in Kallady Uppodai which is offering BFA in Music, Dance, Drama & Theatre Arts and Visual & Technological Arts. Trincomalee Campus is 180 km from the Vantharumoolai at Konesapuri in Trincomalee district having two faculties and one unit: Faculty of Communication and Business studies, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Siddha Medicine Unit.

Entities and degree programmes

The following Institute, Campus and faculties are functioning and offering the relevant degrees:

Institute

• Swamy Vipulanantha Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SVIAS)
• B.FA (Dance)
• B.FA (Drama & Theatre)
• B.FA (Music)
• B.FA (Visual & Technological Arts)

Campus

• Trincomalee Campus
• Faculty of Communication and Business Studies
• B.A. (Communication)
• B.A. (Languages)
• BSc (Marketing Management)
• BSc (Human Resource Management)

B.M.

• Faculty of Applied Science
• BSc (Applied Physics and Electronics)
• BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science)
• Siddha Medicine Unit

B.S.M.S.

Faculties

• Faculty of Science – BSc (Special) & BSc (General)
• Faculty of Agriculture – BSc in Agriculture
• Faculty of Commerce and Management – B.BA, B.Com. & B.Econ
• Faculty of Arts and Culture – B.A (General) & B.A (Special)
• Faculty of Health Care Sciences – M.B.B.S & BSc in Nursing
• Faculty of Technology
• Faculty of Graduate Studies ( MA, MSc, MDE, MEd, MPhil, PhD)

Administration and staff

The administration of the university is mainly managed by the University Council and the senate. The council members are of two types: Ex-Officio Members and Appointed Members by the UGC. Other than these main two bodies, there are Faculty Boards for each and every faculties under the control of faculty deans and the heads of the departments. Other important committees of the university are: Senior Management Committee, Leave and Awards Committee, Finance Committee and Audit Committee.

In the administration, the vice-chancellor is the chief executive officer and the academic and administrative head of all activities of the university, whereas the Registrar is the manager of all non-academic administration. The Administration Branch, Examination Branch, Establishment (Academic), Establishment (Non-Academic), Welfare Branch, Bursar the custodian of funds and overall in charge of financial activities of the university managing Supply Branch, Accounts Branch, Payments Branch. The current registrar of the EUSL is A. Pahirathan and Bursar is M.M Mureez Fareez

The number of teaching staff of the eastern university was 165 with 2 professors, 87 senior lectures and 76 lectors in 2011; the total number of non-teaching staff was 308.

University admission and budget allocation

The university had 3,416 undergraduate students in 2011 with 1040 new admissions and 490 graduate output. Swami Vipulanantha Institute of Aesthetic Studies (SWIAS) had 923 undergraduate students with 227 new admissions and 45 graduate output. The postgraduate student enrolment in 2011 was 219, with 18 PG diploma, 187 masters/mPhil, and 14 PhD The postgraduate student's output were 8 in 2011. The total number of students who were enrolled in the external degree programs in the Eastern University was 1207, with 11 graduated in 2011.

The university has a recurrent allocation of Rs. 475 million and a capital allocation of Rs. 477 million in the 2013 budget.

Faculties and departments

The Eastern University has seven faculties, a Campus and an institute.

Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science has run since the establishment of the Batticaloa University College on 1 August 1981. It consists of five departments: the Department of Botany, Department of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics, Department of Physics and Department of Zoology. The Departments of Botany and Zoology have a good collection of locally endemic and imported species in their herbarium and museum. The Faculty offers the subjects Botany, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics and Zoology.

The Faculty of Science was allocated a portion of the restructured Vantharumoolai Madya Maha Vidyalaya buildings. The building space is hardly enough to satisfy the needs of the growing faculty. A larger science building complex is proposed.

The Zoology block of the Science complex is completed, and consists of modern lecture halls and laboratories to accommodate additional intake of students. The blocks for the Department of Physics, Botany, Mathematics and administration for the Faculty will be constructed in the near future.

Faculty of Agriculture

The establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture in 1981 was expected to serve as a catalyst for the agricultural and socio-economic development of the region. The agriculture education and research pursued by the Faculty cater to the special needs of the region with a view to uplifting of the social and economic standards of a predominantly rural population, who depend largely on agriculture.

The Faculty of Agriculture consists of six departments: Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Engineering, Animal Sciences and Crop Science. The faculty has established a Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and Resource Management (CENSARM). The faculty has crop and livestock farms, about 15 acres for teaching purposes and for the issue of seeds, planting materials and breeding stock of farm animals to the public. Arrangements are being made to expand these activities in another 10-acre farm taken over from the Research Training and Farm Complex of the Department of Agriculture at Karadianaru. Equipment and laboratory facilities for teaching and research are available in each Department of study.

The present dean of the faculty is Prof. (Mrs.) P. Premanandarajah.

Faculty of Commerce and Management

The Faculty of Commerce and Management was established in 1988 and offers programs designed to provide students with a sound understanding of the functions of Business and their inter-relationships. The faculty strives to develop in its students an understanding of nature of modern business, including an awareness of emerging business opportunities and the constraints within those opportunities may be explored. It requires students to apply the analytical skills developed in the study of general education to the real business situation.

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