STRIVING FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE! 40 GLOBAL AWARDS FROM MONASH PRODUCED BY UCL

Ms. Jo Mithen, CEO of Monash College flew down to Sri Lanka to attend the graduation of the second batch of students graduating from Universal College Lanka (UCL). Within the short span of two years UCL has produced 40+ Global Awards since its inception in 2016. Along with Ms. Jo Mithen, CEO Monash College, Mr. Zarif Munir, one of the Directors of UCL also joined us for a discussion regarding the Academic success of UCL and to reflect upon UCL’s journey!

Being one of the main pillars of strength of Monash College as their CEO, tell us a bit about your role and the connection between Monash University and Monash College?

Jo Mithen: Monash College is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monash University and we were established to grant access to Monash University to International students. Monash is one of the largest Universities in Australia, and Monash College is responsible for over 50 percent of International students at Monash University. I am the Chief Executive Officer of Monash College and I have been so for 10 years, and in that time we have tripled the size of the company, improved our footprint globally and certainly improved the quality of education provided to our students.

There are 40 Global Awards produced by UCL to date, what are your thoughts on UCL’s Academic success within a short span of two years?

Jo Mithen: I think UCL has done a stunning job meeting the academic standards required by Monash. Having won these awards is certainly quite an exceptional performance as the awards are presented to the highest performing student across all Monash providers in a particular trimester.

Mr. Munir, what do you think about the exceptional performance of your students here at UCL?

Zarif Munir: As Board members we are thrilled by the success of our students. Monash and UCL collectively commit to the highest academic standards and this is a true partnership. Throughout the 2 years that we have worked with Monash College, we feel like we have gone from strength to strength and UCL students have really benefitted from the many innovative teaching methods that Monash has pioneered. The quality assurance that Monash provides, the intervention when required and the support we get when our students graduate, really speaks about how fortunate our students are to have such a strong partnership with Monash.

How does Monash College ensure the quality and delivery of the education offered by UCL?

Jo Mithen: We start with identifying the best teachers; a great academic faculty leads in creating great students. We also invest in our curriculum development, further being flexible to adjust the curriculum to meet the local context. When it comes to assessment, all the assessments are moderated by Monash University and we calibrate the marking according to the Monash standards and to make sure that the students’ results here in Colombo are equal to the same student performance in Australia. We can easily say that our students wherever in the world, perform equally great as domestic students in Australia because of this standardized system of assessment and education. A student at Monash College must be able to perform equally well as their peers in Australia and at UCL students winning 40 Global Awards, within the span of 2 years shows how strong their academic standards are partnered with Monash College.

Mr. Munir, how do you ensure the academic quality of UCL from your end and the facilities provided?

Zarif Munir: The only way to ensure academic quality is to always raise the bar. Our students perform well on the required tests and are also shaped to be solid leaders. This combination is probably why UCL students continue to do well when they continue on to Monash University.

Will Monash enhance the partnership with UCL by introducing more academic paths here in Sri Lanka?

Jo Mithen: It depends on whether our courses fit the market needs, because it’s not a fixed in stone partnership, we are indeed flexible to offer more. If UCL can assist and deploy the number of students at Melbourne in terms of academic programmes, because there are shifts and changes in the market all the time we can continue to reflect on our offering here according to the needs.

Mr. Munir why would a student choose to do the diploma at UCL and enter in to Monash, does it have a positive effect while studying at Monash University?

Zarif Munir: Students at UCL have many options, and we feel lucky to have these students with us. The practical benefit for students is the Financial cost and the ability to stay at home for another year, close to family and friends. When I think of my own children I prefer having them with me as long as possible and I like the fact that there is an academic institution that does not compromise the quality of education and is affordable as well I also believe the extra year permits students to mature and they go on to be more successful in their career at Monash University.

Are there any other foundation programmes from Sri Lanka that helps students get in to Monash?

Jo Mithen: There are none that offer a guaranteed entrance in to Monash University. A student could do their A levels and enter in to Monash University directly but they are not going to receive a guarantee that they will get a placement in the University, even if they achieve the required scores. But if they get the required academic scores while at UCL under Monash College, the entrance in to Monash University is guaranteed. UCL is the only institution in Sri Lanka where you get the guaranteed entrance for Monash University.

Mr. Munir would you oblige to reflect upon the journey of UCL within the span of 2 years?

Zarif Munir: Two years ago when we started we knew that there was a real need in the market for a high quality education provider. The biggest concern we had as sponsors was to ensure that we had a solution that lives up to the standard of the parents and the students. Starting something brand new where it is highly visible naturally we were really concerned that we deliver high standards. Looking back at the two years, fantastic to see how well our team and the students have done. I personally think the academic team as well as the overall management team has just done a wonderful job of creating this experience for the students which is world class. The World class experience delivered in country with no compromise. Jo Mithen: I think UCL has done a tremendous task of achieving academic excellence. While being such a young organization where no success stories are established, having these students enter in to Monash will create very strong success stories where in time UCL can proudly talk about.

Anything you would like to say to the prospective students and their parents of Monash University?

Jo Mithen: It’s a really crowded market here in Sri Lanka and the country is just emerging. I’ve been visiting Sri Lanka for 15 years and I’m thrilled to see capital investments, the increasing multi-cultural nature which has improved over here. What I can say is educating the population with high quality education is one way to uplift the country and choose your path wisely.