The Higher Education Ministry has taken action to upgrade the country’s university system to create an environment to produce intellectuals required to turn Sri Lanka into the “miracle of Asia” as pledged in “Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma.”

The Government intends to transform the country into the “miracle of Asia” under five-fold concept of naval, aviation, business and commercial, energy and knowledge hub, the last being the most important fact.

In order to meet this requirement, the Higher Education Ministry has to play a vital role to produce adequate intellectuals through the country’s university network, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr.Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne told the Sunday Observer.However, the conditions prevailing in 15 universities in the country are not sufficient to produce enough intellectuals to meet the present day needs.

Early measures have to be taken to upgrade the quality of the university system by encouraging attitudinal change among the university students, lecturers and its employees.

At present the Ministry is making a close study on the problems existing in the university network, he said.

Dr.Nawaratne said if there is a lack of facilities in universities, it would be difficult to produce talented students. On the directive of Higher Education Minister S.B.Dissanayake, a decision has been taken to inspect all universities in the country and provide early solutions to the existing problems. We have already visited the Oluvil University, ‘Eastern University and the faculty of the Eastern University in Nilaweli.

The Ministry is taking measures to overcome all shortcomings in these universities. The Ministry will also grant Rs.2 million to develop the library facilities in these universities as well, while it has been decided to provide more facilities to the medical faculty of the Eastern university.

“We have laid emphasis to produce a student who is suitable for an employment. In future measures will be taken to provide necessary knowledge to the ayurvedic students to gain employment in the tourism sector.

They will be taught English, German and French languages which would help them to promote the country’s ayurvedic sector. Those who have followed archaeology will be utilised to guide tourists.

In addition, assistance will be provided to university students to upgrade their talents in relation to various fields such as arts, drama, literary the print and electronic media sectors,” he said.

Dr.Nawaratne said of the nearly 130,000 students passed the G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination, only 21,000 students are qualified for university entrance. A large number of students are deprived their right to gain university entrance.

Therefore the Government has decided to grant permission to International Universities to set up their branches here. The Ministry will call upon each international university to be set up here to offer 20 percent scholarships to local students.
Sunday Observer

Pauline Swan made her first appearance in print when she and her elder sister Rosine contributed a series of fine line drawings of plants and flowers to the classic Textbook of Botany, written by Mrs Susan Pulimood and her sister Anna K. Joshua. This was a school textbook, used island-wide until the switch-over from English took place. Her great talent as an educator, however, was expended in other fields of study, notably English and Theology.

Born on 1 December 1922, the second child of James and Erin Swan of Colombo, Pauline was educated at Bishop’s College, and it was from there that she entered the University of Ceylon. At the University she met her future husband, Charles Richard Jeevaratnam Hensman, her senior by one year. Dick Hensman was reading for an Honours degree in English under E.F.C. Ludowyk and Hector Passe, and like him Pauline was a friend and contemporary of Regi Siriwardena, Basil Mendis, and the poet Patrick Fernando.

Following their graduation, and their marriage in 1947, both Pauline and Dick Hensman entered upon careers as teachers, he at St Thomas’s College, Mount Lavinia, she at Bishop’s College, where they both taught English and English Literature, and encouraged their students to interest themselves in drama and theatre. They collaborated on the first of their many publications, A Better Way to English, which promoted a more creative approach to the writing, study and teaching of English than had previously been the case.

Together they established the Community Institute in the early 1950s. This initiative, far ahead of its times and the distinguished fore-runner of both Marga and the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), promoted study and discussion on the direction of post-independence Ceylon, and published several issues of the journal COMMUNITY, predecessor of The Thatched Patio, Polity, and many others.

It was at this period of Pauline Hensman’s life that the present writers, together with their classmates at Bishop’s College, first encountered the remarkable teacher to whom they owe not only their success in these subjects at university level but also, to a great extent, the formation of their serious interests.

Her example, and the standards and principles she maintained shaped their outlook on life, and have in many cases been handed down to their own students and their children. Pauline’s prowess as a teacher was only one aspect of her greatness as a human being. We are accustomed to accepting known historical figures who have come down through the ages in various spheres of human endeavour as great, but we very seldom look closer to home at people in our own lives and realize on reflection that this same accolade can be bestowed on them. Pauline was one of these.

Many of Pauline’s achievements were hidden from public view by her reserve, her natural modesty and her total lack of self-praise. Those whose lives she touched were indeed fortunate to experience and benefit from the analytical mind she brought to the teaching of literature, and later, from the ground-breaking studies she made in theology. She was a Christian and a dedicated member of the Anglican Church, but this did not prevent her from studying and becoming deeply aware of the spirituality and substance of the other religions in multi-cultural and multi-religious Sri Lanka. She was particularly well versed in Buddhism having delved into the Mahavamsa and the teachings of the Buddha, apart from knowing the major events of his life in considerable detail and the history of the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.

She was a passionate believer in, and defender of the rights of women, the equality of women with men and their God given right to work as equal partners.

She found the theological foundation of this belief in the equal treatment given by Jesus Christ to the female disciples and to women in general; particularly those scorned by the Jews as belonging to inferior communities like the Samaritans. This acceptance of women contradicted all the established patterns of relationship in the patriarchal Jewish society of his era, two millennia ago.

The solid basis of her contribution to theology was a penetrating study of the Bible to which she brought certain brilliant personal gifts: a searchingly analytical intelligence and a profoundly serious interest in pursuing truth and learning. Also, as she herself said, she applied the rules of Practical Criticism to Bible studies and social transformation.

These rules which she taught to her students of English and English Literature as essential to their successful study and practice of the discipline. The guidance she gave them in discerning what was valuable from what was not, they discovered in later life were applicable to many aspects of real experience; separating truth from falsehood, fact from fiction and reality from illusion. The principles she taught and lived by often went to the heart of the matter in practical life as well as emotional life, by critically analyzing the use of words which are a crucial means of communication between human beings.

Pauline Hensman’s major concerns became the flaws and injustice of rampant capitalism, the exploitation of the poor, the weak, and the marginalized, the ruthless pursuit of power by those in control of a country’s resources which rendered so many powerless, unable to direct their own lives in ways that would benefit families, communities and the country itself, the erection of barriers relating to superiority and subordination of different nations, ethnicities and skin colour, classes and castes, religions, cultures and languages.

Having also taught children, and provided remedial teaching to children with learning difficulties in certain English schools, she became aware of the psychological and human needs of children from infancy which meant providing orphans (and even children with indifferent parents in homes) with much more than food, shelter and clothing. Above all, she traced the importance of love (which was usually not forthcoming) in order that these children grow to be well rounded adults.

Where poor children in Sri Lanka were concerned, she searched out all the statistics which showed that their nutrition was insufficient to enable them to develop properly at the most important stage of their growth. In other words, a great majority were malnourished. She did not merely research and theorize but urged individuals, concerned groups and institutions to take initiatives to change these situations by implementing practical solutions which would effect social transformation.

From the mid-seventies to the late eighties, Pauline Hensman became a sought after leader and presenter at international and national seminars, conferences and church-based discussions on all these and related issues. Some of her presentations include the following:

Children with and without a Future (written for International Children’s Day). Published in Broadsheet, June 1976.

World Food Day. Prepared for The Women’s Theological Fellowship, 1984.

A Biblical Reflection on the National Situation. Report to the EATWOT Asian Women’s Consultation, Manila, November 1985.

Let my people go – the Theology of Resistance. Presented at Workshop on the Theology of Race: ‘Racism, Resistance and Reconciliation’, Colombo, July 1987.

Violence against Women: A Sri Lankan Christian Perspective. Based on a talk given at the Women’s Workshop on ‘Violence against Women and against Nature’, in Lewella, March 1993.

The Bible and Woman. Talk at Interfaith SAARC Seminar, ‘Issues of Women’, Sri Lanka 22-27 April 1991.

Pauline’s children (Rohini, Jim and Savitri) and her grandchildren (Shakuntala, Murad, Marianne, Chandra and Ravi), their spouses and partners Jairus, Beth, Vijayatara, Ammar, Leena, Paul and Simon, and her great-grandchildren Amlan and Zinedine, were all extremely important to her. Most dear, of course, was Dick, the beloved friend and loyal partner in so many joint endeavours, whom she survived by two years.

We will always remember Pauline as a great humanist, teacher and friend. She was the strongest and most disciplined woman we have ever met, for she practised what she preached. Her quiet, but strong personality is recollected with deep affection and gratitude whenever her former students think or write about her, and it has been celebrated in fiction by one of them. Her own publications are still available to those who wish to read and benefit from them and we will leave the last word to her:

“I passionately believe in the causes I have been espousing, and perhaps this book will be at work when I no longer am.” These words are in the Preface to her book, To Mercy, Peace and Love published in 1993 in Sri Lanka.
Sunday Observer

He spoke at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the American University during his tour of the East Coast of the United States.

During his tour, Dr. Ariyaratne covered a wide expanse of topics related to the post-conflict social development of Sri Lanka, including what efforts expatriates can contribute to help further develop Sri Lanka’s infrastructure, economy, and other aspects.

Hosting Dr. Ariyaratne during his visit to the East Coast was Professor Patrick Mendis, a visiting scholar in foreign policy at the John Hopkins University’s SAIS.  Professor Mendis has volunteered extensively in Sarvodaya and it’s projects in Polonnaruwa since 1972, going on to establish a Sarvodaya Peace Prize and scholarships.

A formal dinner reception was held at the residence of Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States, to commend Dr. Ariyaratne’s work, efforts, and dedication.

In the heartland of Sri Lanka’s minority, Jaffna’s newly restored Tamil library is a potent symbol of decades of ethnic strife.

Decades of civil strife have left their mark on Jaffna, the heartland of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority.  Bombed-out buildings are a reminder of the fierce battles waged over the historic city.

The most potent symbol of the struggle, and the uneasy peace since fighting ended last May, is Jaffna’s public library, which was torched in 1981 by an anti-Tamil mob.  Nearly 100,000 books and manuscripts, including irreplaceable palm-leaf Tamil texts, went up in smoke.  It was an act of cultural vandalism that fed the Tamil resistance movement.

Eventually the library was rebuilt by Sri Lanka’s government and reopened in 2003.  It has plenty of new books in Tamil and English on its wooden shelves.  But restoring the spirit of the library presents a far greater challenge, says the chief librarian, S. Thanabaalasinham.

Peace has brought some relief: military checkpoints that blocked access roads to the library have been lifted, making it easy to walk or ride there.  An influx of Sinhalese tourists from the rest of Sri Lanka means more visitors are entering its airy lobby.  But inquisitive visitors aren’t what the library needs, says Mr. Thanabaalasinham.  “We don’t have enough readers. There’s not many here,” he sighs.

Back in its heyday, the library catered to a steady stream of students from Jaffna’s prized schools and colleges.  The city was a center of learning and its library was its gem.

In recent years, as few as 150 people a day visit.  Thanabaalasinham wishes it were far more, not for his own job security, but for the community’s sense of pride and ownership.

Some of Jaffna’s residents, who scattered during the war, have come back.  But a depressed economy and lingering political tensions mean that most return to their comfortable lives in Britain or India, or farther south in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo.

On a brief tour, Thanabaalasinham points to a prewar black-and-white aerial photo of Jaffna.  In the center, stands the original library, opened in 1934 during British rule.  “It was the best library in Southeast Asia,” he says.

Originally published in the Christian Science Monitor on February 24, 2010.

Click here to access the original article.

The Sri Lanka Foundation Essay Competition is open to all students in America from ages six through 18.

There was an overwhelming response to this year’s essay competition, and Sri Lanka Foundation would like to send out a hearty congratulations to this year’s winners.

Elementary School

First Place – Brennon Byrd

Runner Up – Lakni Hettiaratchi

Junior High School

First Place – Sudheesha Perera

Runner Up – Sonali Byrd

High School

First Place – Kalani Byrd

Runner Up – Nicole Arulanantham

January 15, 2010 —

Ven. Bokanoruwe Dewananda Thero of the Florida Buddhist Vihara recently published two new Buddhist books.

The first, “Short Dhamma Stories For Kids,” is a compilation of traditional didactic Theravada Buddhist stories which have been historically passed down as a means of relating ethics and values.  All the stories within the book have been translated into English.

To purchase this novel, click here.

Surveying pre-modern social norms, “Social Aspects of Early Buddhism”  takes on the Buddhist point of view of the world.  It begins with an explanation into the Buddhist idea of the formation of the universe and the progression of the development of morality in society up until the time of the Buddha.  It further examines the economic, political, and societal relationships between people of that time.

The book was compiled through research from original Pali and Sanskrit texts.

To purchase this novel, click here.

Royal College in Colombo, Sri Lanka was recently recognized by the Microsoft Corporation as one of the best Innovative Schools in the world through Microsoft’s Innovative Schools Program.  The Innovative Schools Program was launched by Microsoft in an effort to find and build communities of schools who prove themselves able to assess, improve, and evaluate their learning environments to successfully move beyond the limits of the classroom and traditional learning models.

Royal College was one of hundreds of schools from around the world who were in the running to gain recognition by the Microsoft Corporation.

Microsoft evaluated Royal College in the following areas:

Academic Success

Innovation Culture

Leadership Development

Learning Community

Strategic Development

Innovative Use of ICT

The selection of Royal College as one of Microsoft’s best Innovative Schools from the scores of applications that came in from around the world is a testament to Royal College’s achievements in the aforemetioned areas of education and academic enrichment.  What’s more, Royalists can be proud knowing their school received such high recognition from a panel of distinguished judges of eminent professions from leading academic institutions across the world.

Royal College is now a Global Pathfinder School in the Microsoft Partners in Learning Network.  As a Global Pathfinder School, Royal College will work with twelve regional mentor schools through Microsoft’s Innovative Schools Program to bring about a holistic, positive change to the education system with support in the fields of technology, development tools, and regional/online training.

Microsoft has pledged assistance to uplift Royal College’s standards of education by making expert resources available to help improve the school and by sharing the best academic practices from around the world.  Royal College’s teachers will  have the opportunity to enhance their teaching methods by attending workshops conducted by Microsoft both locally and overseas.  Teachers will also be exposed to more technology-based teaching approaches so that students may look forward to an overall improved learning experience at Royal College.

Click here to read about Microsoft’s 2009 Worldwide Innovative Education Forum.

November 3, 2009 —

In the midst of the U.S. – China trade dispute, Sri Lankan American trade expert, Dr. Patrick Mendis from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), defended President Barack Obama’s import tariff on Chinese tires.

Dr. Mendis was the keynote speaker at the “millionaire club” conference of 1,000 business leaders and investors in Shanghai.  This conference, focusing on U.S. – China trade relations, was sponsored by the Sino Securities, the Industrial and Chemical Bank of China, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The United States has traditionally been a champion of free trade, he said during his keynote speech on Sino-American trade relations.  The Obama administration’s decision on tariff is a temporary intervention to adjust the changing domestic labor markets, Dr. Mendis argued.  “America will always uphold the principles of free trade and good relations with China,” Mendis told his optimistic audience.

This was Dr. Mendis’ second month-long lecture and book tour in China within the last five months.  Sponsored by the premier Chinese Foreign Affairs University, Dr. Mendis had first been invited earlier this summer to give a series of lectures at several universities in multiple cities, as well as to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.  During his tour, Dr. Mendis also served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the U.S.-China Relations Symposium under the Obama Administration at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou.

The Shanghai business community invited Dr. Mendis for their conference followed by a series of lectures in several major cities including Chengdu, Guilin, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Yangzhou.  With his latest book, TRADE for PEACE: How the DNA of America, Freemasonry, and Providence Created a New World Order with Nobody in Charge, Dr. Mendis looks back to America’s origin to see its future.  He expounded on how Chimerica (China and America) is intertwined as producer/consumer and creditor/debtor as a single nation.  He also highlighted a range of emerging Sino-centric economic relations, which he calls Chipan (China and Japan), Chirusia (China and Russia), Chindia (China and India), and Chifrica (China and Africa).  He further explained to his audiences how America’s founding fathers used trade as a force that unites people of differences despite their religious, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.

In Nanjing, Dr. Mendis gave lectures at the John Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese American Studies.  It is the first U.S. – China academic partnership between the two countries since President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger opened diplomatic relations with China.

Dr. Mendis is a former American diplomat and a military professor in the NATO and Pacific Commands of the U.S. Armed Forces.  He has traveled and worked in more than 75 countries, and later taught at the Chinese Northwestern University in Xian, the ancient capital of China.

To honor his contributions to U.S. – China relations, the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies named him an honorary consulting professor of international relations at the Center for International Security Studies.  Dr. Mendis lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

Article originally published on October 30, 2009 on AsiaTribune.com.

Click here to access the original article.

September 25, 2009 —

An exclusive interview with Dr. M.A. Sanjayan, Lead Scientist at the Nature Conservancy.

One can almost always guarantee that whenever the words ‘scientist’ is mentioned, images of microscopes, petri dishes, and lab coats come to mind.  And while those items are perhaps quite essential to most scientists, and indeed telling of their work, there are some scientists who work worlds apart from the strict confines of a lab.  Dr. M.A. Sanjayan, Lead Scientist at The Nature Conservancy, is one such individual.  As part of such a large and influential organization, Dr. Sanjayan has been one of a lucky few who have been and continue to be able to impact and help transform the many different notions about conservation practices.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is an environmental organization that strives to preserve the Earth’s ecosystems, and the plants and animals within them.  TNC works towards this goal by espousing and implementing ideas and projects that protect the natural lands and waters that our planet’s ecosystems need in order to continue existing.  Dr. Sanjayan, as Lead Scientist in this organization, involves himself in two separate roles.  While working to find and make popular the best ideas in conservation techniques for TNC, he must also meet with individuals and organizations around the world to explain the significance and necessity of TNC’s work.  As Dr. Sanjayan explained to Sri Lanka Foundation, part of his work includes making science better around a few critical areas, and the other part involves informing others about TNC and it’s objectives.

When Sri Lanka Foundation asked Dr. Sanjayan how it was that he came to work in the realm of conservation specifically, he simply said that he had had no grand plan to bring him into that particular type of work.  Rather, he just pursued things that he knew he had a knack for, worked as hard as he could on those things, and jumped at the opportunities that opened up for him.  Throughout his undergraduate years, he enrolled in classes from every field – English, Art, Biology, Computer Science – and in this way, was able to find which subjects he most interested and able to excel in.

Yet, even in graduate school, Dr. Sanjayan was still unsure of the career path he would take, but continued pursuing things that he knew he could perform well in.  That line of thought, coupled with the notion that he would have to find the courage to jump at opportunities when they came forth, afforded Dr. Sanjayan the confidence he needed to succeed.  Indeed, by strengthening his interests in school, and by taking hold of the opportunities presented to him, Dr. Sanjayan found a means of livelihood that was not only intellectually fulfilling, but one that also positively contributed to the world around him.  Certainly, Dr. Sanjayan admits, there were times when he failed, but he was persistent and put those moments of lesser success behind him.  His career advice in a nutshell?  “If you are not willing to fail sometimes, success can be a pretty hard thing to find.”

Though he was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Dr. Sanjayan’s love for nature blossomed while living in Sierra Leone, Africa.  Growing up in the lush vegetation of Sierra Leone, Dr. Sanjayan had miles upon miles of land to explore and experience.  As a child, he often accompanied his neighbor, Mr. Charlie Gunasekara, on trips into the forest.  Calling them “mini-adventures,” Dr. Sanjayan recounts how he and Charlie would spend time in the forest tracking crocodile or hippopotamus tracks along the river banks.  Thanks to all the time spent with Charlie experiencing the rich nature that surrounded him in Sierra Leone, Dr. Sanjayan uncovered a hidden interest within himself for experiencing the world around him, and this interest eventually brought him down the path that led him to work with TNC.

Even so, it was not only Charlie who had a hand in helping shape Dr. Sanjayan’s passion for the great outdoors, and eventually his career; his parents were also a great influence in this regard.  Having allowed him to freely delve into his interests without harsh criticism on their end, Dr. Sanjayan’s parents enabled him to come to his own conclusions about the career path that was right for him.  As he says, “I give … credit to my parents who, though I don’t think ever imagined this interest would be anything more than a hobby, gave me room to explore and make up my own mind about what I wanted to do.  I wonder what would have happened if they had pushed me into a field or career that was more ‘normal.’  I probably would have hated it and been quiet bad at it.”

Dr. Sanjayan recognizes that he has been incredibly fortunate in his life to be able to discover what he was passionate about at a young age, but is also quick to recognize that having a supportive family that did not quite fully understand or agree with his decisions, but who were nonetheless willing to have strong faith in his choices, was a huge factor in bringing him to where he is today.

TNC’s reach is spread around the world, across thirty-five countries, and so Dr. Sanjayan often finds himself rather busy, shuffling from one location to another, meeting individuals and organizations, and even making time for televised documentary films.  He has been involved with a few documentaries for the BBC and the Discovery Channel.  Expedition Alaska, aired by Discovery Channel, had Dr. Sanjayan, along with a team of other renowned scientists, assessing climate change in Alaska’s vast wilderness.  Last year, he was also involved with Discovery Channel’s acclaimed “Shark Week” television series.  Apart from his involvement in televised documentaries, Dr. Sanjayan’s work takes him to countries and places where he has had a few interesting encounters with local wildlife.

From handling sharks and cobras, to rhinoceroses and polar bears, Dr. Sanjayan has seen and encountered many exotic animals.  When asked if such encounters had ever proven to be dangerous, Dr. Sanjayan replied that he does not take senseless risks, and that he has always had the advantage of being accompanied by individuals who are knowledgeable about their environment and the wildlife around them.  His most dangerous encounter to date, however, has been with creatures of lesser concern to most people: taxi drivers in India.

Dr. Sanjayan admits he is more frightened by driving through dangerous, narrow streets with an over-confident and speedy taxi driver in India than he is by any encounter with a cobra.  While in certain jest at the stereotype, Dr. Sanjayan pragmatically expressed the stark difference by noting that the danger that exists when encountering wildlife is small when compared to getting into a car with an unknown driver.  With the wildlife, Dr. Sanjayan says he has some control over the situation, whereas with the taxi driver, he has next to none.  Undoubtedly, many who have ridden in a taxi or three-wheeler in any part of South Asia can understand the fear or perceived danger as you speed over half-paved roads, wondering which pothole is going to be the one that flips your vehicle into an acrobatic somersault.

Currently, Dr. Sanjayan is working on an initiative to change the way that society perceives the objectives of nature conservationists.  The problem underlying this issue partly stems from the dialogue of those directly involved within the conservation movement.  As Dr. Sanjayan aptly notes, if the leaders of this movement continue to speak about polar bears, blue whales, or Javan rhinoceroses, they will be unable to convince the majority of people around the world that conservation is an important undertaking to keep our world as habitable as possible for all creatures, animals and humans alike.  Dr. Sanjayan is convinced that the movement is in need of what he calls a ‘paradigm shift,’ which would have the movement to clearly relate goals to alleviate poverty and promote human well-being with those found in nature conservation.

So while Dr. Sanjayan’s work is not centered around the archetypal materials associated with the word ‘scientist,’ he is a scientist nonetheless – one who is working to inform and educate people around the world about the necessity of conservation practices that will benefit them and the environment they live in.  Referring to its abundant and diverse wildlife, Dr. Sanjayan notes that Sri Lanka possesses a world-class array, putting to shame other countries that are better known for their wildlife, such as Indonesia and Costa Rica.  Sri Lanka, he hopes, may one day become the leading destination for wildlife-viewing and conservation practices in all of Asia.

Click here to find out more about the Nature Conservancy.

Google’s Summer of Code has established itself as one of the premiere student development programs around. In the recent five years, Sri Lanka has supplied companies that have entered the Summer of Code program a huge number of professionals in various programming-related domains. The Summer of Code program is a Google initiative that sponsors students to write code for open-source programs under the supervision of experienced mentors from various big companies.

With only 20 million people, the country has supplied Google’s program with 106 students, surpassing other programming power houses like Italy, Netherlands, Romania or Israel. Sure, thanks to its small population, it does not rank at the very top, but judging by a simple ratio (accepted student / total number of population), it ranks right at the top, beating countries like the USA, India, Russia, China or Canada.

But these numbers aren’t that representative. More interesting is a top ten of the most successful universities that have constantly sent students in the program year after year. Right at the top in this year’s program, and in the overall category, is the University of Moratuwa with a massive number of 79 students, out of which 22 joined the program this year. Suddenly, this small list brings new light and respect to a country unmentioned before in the world of code developing.

Here is this year’s top ten supplied by the official Google Summer of Code statistics page:

Sri Lanka – University of Moratuwa : 22

Brazil – University of Campinas / UNICAMP : 12

China – Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences : 11

Romania – Polytechnic University of Bucharest : 11

Poland – Gdansk University of Technology : 10

Austria – Vienna University of Technology : 9

India – Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Goa campus : 9

Sweden – Royal Institute of Technology : 9

India – Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University : 8

Singapore – National University of Singapore : 8.

And this is the overall top ten:

Sri Lanka – University of Moratuwa : 79

Brazil – University of Campinas / UNICAMP : 37

Canada – University of Toronto : 34

Austria – Vienna University of Technology : 31

China – Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences : 30

United States – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign : 28

Poland – Wroclaw University of Technology : 27

Hungary – Budapest University of Technology and Economics : 21

Canada – Carleton University : 21

Romania – Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi : 20.

Originally published on Softpedia on September 14, 2009.

Click here to access the original article.