The Vavuniya University and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme have signed an agreement to establish a long term collaborative relationship between Vavuniya and CFA with the idea of promoting career guidance, ethics and best practices held by CFA. The MoU will facilitate resource personnel as guest lecturers and thereby improve the marketability of students, according to Prof Yogaraja Nanthagopan of the university. “I believe the MoU would allow our UG students to improve their financial knowledge, their knowledge on capital markets and stock market decisions.”

The professor said CFA benefits from the MoU by having their lecturers promoted to Vavuniya University and Vavuniya students benefit by studying these subjects. In terms of career guidance, Prof Nanthagopan, said Vavuniya and CFA staff will give career guidance lectures to both staff and students of Vavuniya, and the CFA will give guidance to students on what programmes to follow in the CFA. CFA industry experts will lecture on the topics of investment and capital markets, investment decisions and capital market decisions.

Both the career guidance and industry lecturers would be conducted twice a year and are to be held on the Vavuniya University campuses. It was also agreed to provide a scholarship to students of Vavuniya to attend the CFA, and to support Vavuniya student research and conferences. Prof Nanthagopan added that the CFA conducts best practices, ethics and standards to financial professionals to both students and industry members in the Vavuniya region. Some seminars would have joint student and industry sessions and some seminars would be separate, he said. The business facility of the Vavuniya University will provide the space for the lectures.