(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette) Sri Lanka's premier transnational higher education provider, Universal College Lanka ( UCL ) is the exclusive partner for Monash Education Sri Lanka. UCL offers the Monash University Foundation Year and Degree Pathway Programmes which provide a guaranteed entry to the prestigious Monash University, ranked 44th in the world and a Group of 8 University in Australia. Upon successful completion of the Monash pathway programmes at UCL, students have progressed to Monash University in Australia or Malaysia and other universities.
A Monash delegation in the ilk of Prof. Mathew Nicholson – Interim Pro Vice Chancellor and President Monash University Malaysia, Ms. Jo Mithen – CEO, Mr. Hamed Moradi – Director Business, Ms. Jennifer Coster – Director, English and Ms. Suyi Xie – Manager Partnerships and Development of Monash College visited Sri Lanka to mark 7 years of the exclusive partnership between Monash and UCL.
A briefing by the Monash Delegates along with Dr. Harsha Alles – Director, Mr. Steven Enderby – Director, Mr. Gihan Silva – CEO, Dr. Dhananjay Kulkarni, Dean of Academic Affairs and Mrs. Erandi Dodamwala – COO of UCL was held on 10th March 2023 at the UCL Auditorium to an audience comprising of discerning students, parents, educators from leading schools, media personnel, as well as faculty and staff of UCL.
Q: How well do Sri Lankan students fare at Monash College/University?
A: (Jo Mithen/CEO Monash College)
Jo opined that she was delighted to visit Sri Lanka for the fourth time strengthening the partnership with UCL.“We are happy to note that the largest number of students of international students at Monash University are Sri Lankan students. They have fared remarkably in the world-class infrastructure which aids students to perform at optimum level”.
Q: Can you tell us the ideology of global expansion of the Monash brand?
A: (Prof. Mathew Nicholson)
“Monash has a remarkable global presence already. Monash's global infrastructure and quality systems are the best in the world. Research is key and of paramount importance. The heart of Monash's global ambition is to be instrumental in solving problems in geo-political security and climate change, among other spheres. We prepare Monash graduates to take on global leadership and be catalysts in change”.
Q: What are the accolades/awards received by Sri Lankan students?
A: (Mr. Gihan Silva, CEO – UCL)
It is a matter of pride that our UCL students have won no less than 375 Monash Global Awards of Excellence over the past 7 years. Furthermore, our students have gone on to excel at the prestigious Monash University by securing the awards for Best Business Graduate, Best Engineering Graduate and Best IT Graduate at Monash University Graduations recently. They are currently pursuing their PhDs with research scholarships awarded by Monash University. We at UCL possess an uncompromising commitment to quality education and an unwavering passion to produce world-class students.
Q: Can you tell us about the quality of the Lecturers at UCL? (Educator/Fr. Nihal Fernando)
Answer: (Dr. Dhananjay Kulkarni – Dean of Academic Affairs – UCL)“UCL's lecture panel comprises academics whose qualifications are on par with the best in the world. Our faculty comprises 75% PhD/ Masters degree holders and the rest are reading for their next level. We have a cosmopolitan faculty, out of which 85% have studies or lived abroad in 10-12 different countries. They are experienced and are equipped to deal with the modern demands of students by having the requisite skills, talents and the business acumen to steer the students towards success. It is unique that the Programme Coordinator for Monash University Foundation Year and Head of School of Business at UCL are both Monash Alumni.
Q: Is the Monash Foundation accepted globally? (Aspiring Parent)
A: (Jo) The Monash University Foundation Year is accepted by all Australian universities and other leading universities globally. In fact, the Monash Pathway Programmes offered at UCL provide a guaranteed entry to the world's highest ranked university from Sri Lanka.
Directors of UCL Dr. Harsha Alles addressed the audience on the role played by UCL in Transnational Education in Sri Lanka, whilst Mr. Steven Enderby emphasized the competitive edge gained through Monash education in the global job market.
Monash College is fully owned by Monash University, Australia's largest university, and is the preferred pathway to Monash University for international students. For over 25 years, Monash College has been helping international students pursue their desired degree programmes and preparing them for success at Monash University and beyond. It is notable that out of the 9000 international students at Monash University, 1000 students are from Sri Lanka. As the largest feeder of students from Sri Lanka, UCL is immensely proud to be associated as a global education partner of Monash University, ranked 44th globally in the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023. It is even more admirable that 375 students have won Monash Global Awards of Excellence during the past 7 years, signifying the excellent academic outcomes achieved by the UCL students in Sri Lanka.
UCL is committed to offering high quality holistic education and maintaining stringent world- class standards aligned with Monash University's ethos of creating responsible global citizens who could effectively contribute towards economic development locally and internationally. Please feel free to contact 0774 777000 or visit the state- of- the- art UCL Campus at Rajagiriya for more information on starting the Monash journey from Sri Lanka.