The first registered undergraduate of BCI Campus, inducted by His Excellency the President

His excellency the president, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa paid a special visit to BCI Campus, Negombo (Benedict XVI Catholic Institute) on Friday the 15th of January 2021 on invitation of His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, The Archbishop of Colombo.

The event was conducted under strict health protocols and was attended by a limited audience among which were His Eminence; the Archbishop of Colombo, Rector of BCI; Rev. Fr. Quintus Fernando ,Professor G L Peiris, Honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Prasanna Ranatunga,Hon. Minister of Tourism,(Dr.) Nalaka Godahewa, Hon. State Minister - Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal, and Public Sanitation, Dr Sudharshini Fernandopulle, Hon. State Minister of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID Disease Control, Mr. Nimal Lanza, Hon State Minister - Rural Roads and other Infrastructure Development, Chief Air Marshal Roshan Gunatileke, Honorable Governor of the Western Province, Prof Kapila Perera, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, P r o f Sampat h Amaratunga, Chairman of the University Grants Commission and Prof Sudantha Liyanage, Vice- Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri, Chairman/Director – Board of Management, Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) and member of BCI Academic Council along with several other dignitaries. Welcoming the distinguished gathering Rev. Father Quintus Fernando; Rector of BCI, said ‘BCI Campus was established 6 years ago with a holistic and Unique approach to higher education.

Our emphasis is not limited to developing graduates that are industry ready, armed with knowledge and skill, but we aspire to make BCI Campus a breeding ground for welldisciplined, humanely nurtured, and responsible citizens. We ‘Aspire to Inspire’ our students to become professionals who possess academic knowledge and skill sets, whilst also mentoring them to assert their dignity and integrity as true human beings”. The reverend father also drew special attention to the invaluable support His Excellency Gotabaya Rajapaksa has rendered to BCI, over the years. Special mention was made to His Excellency’s involvement in expediting the reconstruction and renovation work of BCI in 2015 as the campus prepared to welcome His Holiness Pope Francis who visited BCI during his visit to Sri Lanka.

Speaking at the event, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith who drew attention to the innumerable efforts of the Catholic Church to provide a sound education to children and youth the world over, stated that ‘education today is not just a matter of mastering science and technology only, but also, and much more, a matter of assisting a young person to master life itself. So, Institutes of higher learning should not be so much profit making as much as academies of moral and spiritual formation for the youth’. The highlight of the evening was the undergraduate induction, where His Excellency the President was invited to officially induct the BCI’s inaugural cohort of undergraduates by presenting them with letters of enrollment at a simple ceremony. BCI Campus was granted the degree awarding status by the Ministry of Education in late 2020 and announced their new degree programmes at a media briefing held on the 30th November at the Archbishop’s House in Colombo.

His Excellency the President, addressing the gathering stated that “For our economy to grow, particularly in the new normal environment, a trained, energetic workforce with the right sense of dignity of labour is essential so that we could achieve accelerated development.” His excellency further went on to commend BCI for the service it has rendered to the country’s education over the past few years and gave special mention to the historic role played by the Catholic Church in educating the youth of this country through its island-wide network of schools since Colonial times. Subsequent to the formalities, a tree planting ceremony was conducted at the location of Proposed Green Court to commemorate this significant milestone, in the annals of history of BCI Campus.

BCI Campus has been offering several higher education programmes in English, IT, and Professional Qualifications and has served well over 17,200 students since its inception six years ago. From this year onwards the campus has opened opportunities for undergraduate studies where students can now register for the following four year honours undergraduate degree programmes in the domains of Business Management and Information Technology. ??Business Management – BBM (Hons) ??Information Technology – BSc. (Hons) BCI Campus focuses on providing students with more than just academic opportunities as the institute is dedicated to shaping well-rounded, responsible, knowledgeable, confident, and ethical individuals that can excel anywhere in the world at their chosen vocation, and be responsible citizens.

To accomplish this BCI is staffed by a team of highly acclaimed education professionals, with many years of experience and a dedication to teaching that goes well beyond the classroom. They are complemented by a team of support staff who ensure perfectly efficient operations. Modern facilities of the campus provide the students all the tools, technology, and resources they need to succeed. In fact, the buildings and surroundings are designed to provide a conducive environment for learning, fellowship, and wellbeing. The campus offers a world-class facility, which is endowed with gorgeous natural gardens and includes plenty of greenery.

This in turn guarantees a locality with the right ambiance, which encourages a mindset open to knowledge and promotes personal growth. A visit to the campus will also provide the students an opportunity to experience the university’s comprehensive, purpose-built, facilities, and amenities which incorporate state-of-the-art technology and the serene green surroundings ideal for learning. As enrolment of students for these programmes has commenced, students as well as parents are invited to visit BCI for further information or initiation. Students and parents can also obtain more information via www.bci.lk or calling the campus on 031 2035100 / 070 6035100