Dr. Vijitha Nanayakkara, Vice Chancellor and Mr. Shenal Basnayake , Director, International Academic Relations Division, the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), along with Mr. Abdul Raheem, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai, visited Al Ghurair University (AGU), Dubai and had discussions with Professor Abdelrahim Mohammed Al Ameen, President, AGU.
"In the present-day globalized world, the universities cannot afford to confine themselves to the boundaries of their respective countries; they are required to come out of their shell and adopt a proactive approach in networking with the universities from different parts of the world, sharing their experiences, resources, and knowledge, and thereby transforming themselves into learning organizations in order to achieve their goals more effectively", said Abdul Raheem, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai.
Continuing his address, he said that the technical, vocational, and professional profile of Sri Lankan expatriates in the UAE, whose number is as high as over 300,000, needs to be enriched on a time-to-time basis in order to ensure that they continue to be the most effective partners in the growth trajectory of the UAE, and added that the proposed collaboration with the Al Ghurair University will be greatly helpful in realizing this vision.
Imparting Training in Islamic Banking and Finance to Sri Lankan Youth: AGU Offers to Help
Professor Abdelrahim Mohammed Al Ameen, President, AGU said that the vision of His Excellency Shaikh Mahammad Bin Rasid Al Makhtoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai to promote Dubai as the center for global Islamic economy in the next three years will result in the potential entry of $ 87-124 billion into the UAE Islamic banking system and thereby creation of approximately 7,800 new jobs in the Islamic banks and another 10,000 in the Islamic financial services sector in the UAE, by 2015.
"Undergoing educational courses and technical programs, therefore, in the fascinating field of Islamic Banking and Finance would be a master career stroke on the part of the youth in taking a lion's share of the emerging opportunities", said Professor Abdelrahim Mohammed Al Ameen and added that the Al Ghurair University will help the Open University of Sri Lanka in training the Sri Lankan youth in Islamic Banking and Finance, in making them literate in Arabic language, and also in orientating them to the UAE culture with a view to enriching their employability profile in the UAE.
Networking with the UAE: High on the Agenda of OUSL
Dr. Vijitha Nanayakkara, Vice Chancellor, Open University of Sri Lanka said that the proposed collaboration with the AGU, which involves Students and Faculty Exchange, Executive Development Programs, International Conferences, Consultancy Assignments, Research Projects, Industry-University Interface, etc. will be greatly instrumental not only in addressing the needs of the all the stakeholders of both the Universities but also in fulfilling their social responsibilities. "Networking with the UAE, by collaborating with the AGU, is high on our agenda considering its growing importance in the world order and the huge numbers of Srl Lankans in this part of the world", he added.
-Ends-
© Press Release 2013
