Reviewing International Encounters ( RIE - 2015 )
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Item Threats and opportunities in library education: new strategies in the Curriculum Development in the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka(Reviewing International Encounters 2015, Research Center for Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Weerasooriya, W.A.The principal aim of this study is to identify the threats and opportunities face by the library education movement in Sri Lanka with special reference to Department of Library and Information Science (DELIS), University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka and to investigate the measures and strategies for answering them. The paper explores how the DELIS could counter these threats with the help of curriculum development strategies. Objectives of the study were to study threats and factors affecting library education with special reference to DELIS, to explore how DELIS overcome these threats and to develop a model of a curriculum design system. Methodology adopted in the study comprised the analysis of vision, mission, stakeholder, content and SWOT. The factors and threats affecting the library education in Sri Lanka can be categorized in to two aspects as macro and micro. Macro aspects are non-recognition and non-identification of the library sector in the government hierarchy particularly the higher education sector, dubious bureaucracy, and lack of cooperation among the principal library education contributors. Micro aspects of threats are the grass root level factors. These threats are rapidly changing subject knowledge content and relevancy, lack of communication and ICT skills among the Library and Information Science (LIS) students, perennial decrease of library science students‟ intake, negative thinking and attitudes among LIS professionals. Identifying this critical situation, the DELIS is in the process of revising its LIS curriculum drastically suiting to the current demands and requirement in the Student Centered Learning (SCL) context. The others measures for answering these threats are the inclusion of extraordinary course units, revising curriculum at every four year period, empowerment of industrial training component, identification of series of competencies, allocation of more ICT course units, inclusion of project based English course unit at every semester, introduction of more practical project based course unites particularly in Classification, Cataloguing, compilation of bibliographic tools and Literature survey project reports in Science and Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities. ICT, communication, management and language skills are some of the essential soft skills which should inculcate among the undergraduates. It is proposed to empower the curriculum evaluation process and further propose to set up a Curriculum Revision Committee with the representation from the principal library education contributors in Sri Lanka, library professionals and the government and private sector. It is observed that a benchmark system introduced so far has to be revised accordingly. These are some of the new strategies in the curriculum development in the Department and they could be applied in the other curriculum development processes. Academic feedbacks well received and responded by the audience in International conference on Social Sciences and Humanities, on 8th, 9th and 10th September, 2014, Istanbul, Turkey. They suggested to consider Industrial Training (IT) be mandatory and let it be given the students for a whole semester free of lectures. Their view was to overseer Industrial Training process very carefully. They informed it is better to students be given a trainee allowance. Innovative ideas they pointed are making a fixed time period for syllabi revision, allowing students to develop their soft-skills within and outside the curriculum, conducting SWOT, Need Analysis getting more feedbacks from library education stakeholders such as LIS teachers, library professionals, library schools etc. The suggestion to include a course unit on Knowledge management and Indigenous knowledge system was well responded by the audience. Since the internet and ICT development makes a radical development in the libraries and information sector, they suggested considering giving a higher weightage to that component in curriculum development. They endorsed the fact that Outcome Based Education could be achieved using Student Centered Learning. One value added emphasis was the utilization of Online Learning Management System (OLMS) for undergraduate education.Item An Examination of Relations between Lanka and Other Countries: with Special Reference to Yapahuwa Period of Sri Lankan History(Reviewing International Encounters 2015, Research Center for Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Sudharmawathie, J. M.After the decline of Rajaratacivilization, the Kingdoms of the country shifted to the Southwest. Hereafter, locations were chosen as capitals based on defense. Yapahuwa was also such place which became the seat of rule for a brief period. The place at Yapahuwa was built on a rock which was situated in the middle of a valley. The only king who ruled from Yapahuwa was King Bhuvanekabahu I. However, his reign at Yapahuwa is noted in the history of Sri Lanka because of various relations with foreign countries. The objective of this paper is to discuss the nature of foreign relations of Lanka during the YapahuwaPeriod. Both Primary and Secondary Sources were used to gather relevant facts and information to achieve the assigned objective. In interpreting data, both literary and archaeological sources were used. It is clear that Lanka had relation with South India, China and Egypt at the time. The nature of these relations varied and there were political, trade and religious relations. When considering the South Indian invasions at the time, it can be said that the invasions was a continuation of previous such invasions to the island. However, as depicted by the architectural remains there were also cordial relations with foreign countries during this period. BhuvanekabahuI can be considered as a king who made an effort to develop foreign trade. This fact is very clear from his policy of continuing the trade activities with china which was initiated during the Anuradhapura Period. Lanka became a part of the international trade activities carriedout through the Indian Ocen. This had affected positively to Lankan economy.Item Poverty impacts of agricultural trade liberalisation in Sri Lanka: A CGE analysis(Reviewing International Encounters 2015, Research Center for Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Ranathunga, S.; Strutt, A.Opponents of free trade believe that more open trade exacerbates poverty in developing economies, particularly in agriculture. In contrast, advocates of trade liberalization often argue that economy-wide gains from trade liberalization make people better off. Although the links between trade and poverty are complex and much-debated many researchers, including trade and development economists, and policy makers believe that trade liberalization plays a vital role in poverty reduction in developing nations like Sri Lanka. This study examines potential poverty changes through various income strata of households under selected agricultural trade liberalisation scenarios in the Sri Lankan context. First, the poverty headcount in each population stratum was calculated, along with poverty elasticities using Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2006/7 data. Secondly, these data were calibrated with the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) database (version 8.1). Finally, we used poverty measures and AIDADS calculations17 to build a GTAP-POV framework for Sri Lanka. Poverty changes for multilateral and unilateral liberalisation scenarios are analysed for seven household strata in Sri Lanka using the GTAP-POV framework. In addition, we model the impact of an Indo-Sri Lankan Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA), as an important example of a bilateral trade agreement. Although Sri Lanka has a very detailed and constantly updated poverty profile, very limited attempts have been made to study poverty within different income strata. Observing poverty changes using poverty elasticities over seven specific income strata is a new dimension for the Sri Lankan poverty profile, which can be used generate insights into the impacts of trade policy changes on poverty. Our GTAP-POV modelling and analysis suggests that multilateral trade liberalisation reduces poverty most effectively and that agricultural trade liberalisation is a very important component of this. However, even if multilateral liberalisation is not possible, unilateral reductions in tariffs by Sri Lanka may also lead to substantial levels of poverty reduction, again with agricultural liberalisation being a particularly important component. However, bilateral trade agreements such as ISFTA are likely to have much smaller impacts on poverty reduction for Sri LankaItem Poverty Reduction in Sri Lanka: Targeting Evidence of Mistargeting in Samurdihi Programme(Reviewing International Encounters 2015, Research Center for Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Nadeeka Damayanthi, M.K.The SamurdhiPrograme has been implementing as a major poverty alleviation programme of the government of Sri Lanka since 1995. This paper examines why targeting errors occur in safety-net and livelihood development components of the Samurdhi program in Sri Lanka and the subsequent effects on the poor as well as on the program. Forty focus groups with all stakeholders in eight districts, four key informant interviews and documentary analysis were utilised to achieve the objectives. Peoples‟ dependency mentality, out-dated cut-off income level and politicisation of the society were identified as major reasons for mistargeting. Major outcomes of the mistargeting include disruptions to social harmony and declining effectiveness of the program. Implications for public policy development are also discussedItem Ajanta and Sigiriya: A comparative study into mural paintings(Reviewing International Encounters 2015, Research Center for Social Sciences, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2015) Manatunga, A.Ajanta paintings have often been compared with that of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. The contemporariness of both paintings, their elegance, excellent preservation and some stylistic similarities are the factors behind this comparison. Accordingly, both sites have been considered as belonging to a same school of paintings which was nourished by Buddhism and spread over South and Southeast Asia during that period. The present paper is meant for examining this popular belief of similarity between Ajanta and Sigiriya by comparing the subject matter, context, style and technique of paintings in both places with casual attention to other paintings and sculptures in India and Sri Lanka. Ajanta is a cave temple complex and its paintings are essentially religious. Sigiriya is a palace complex and its paintings are in a secular context. Moreover, Sigiriya paintings are only female figures which are having a symbolic meaning than that of Ajanta where paintings are part of narrative scenes. The study shows that Ajanta and Sigiriya are examples of two schools of paintings though there are some similarities in style which is common to both paintings and sculptures at Anuradhaura and Polonnaruva in general. Further, it is noted that Ajanta is closer in the subject matter, context and style to paintings in the Tivanka Image House at Polonnaruva than that of Sigiriya. The style and elegance of old sculptures at Dambulla cave indicate some resemblance to Ajanta though early paintings at the cave have been replaced by new paintings of Kandyan style in the 18th century and presently preserved as the largest painted cave of the island. One may surmise that Dambulla caves might be somewhat resemblance to Ajanta if it were preserved with its old paintings