Eastern University of Sri Lanka

Infobox University


name = Eastern University of Sri Lanka
established = 1960
type = Public
Vice Chancellor =
head = |
city = Batticaloa
country = Sri Lanka
undergrad =
postgrad =
faculty =
affiliations = UGC
website = [http://www.esn.ac.lk www.esn.ac.lk]

The Eastern University of Sri Lanka is located in Vantarumoolai ,Batticaloa in the eastern province of Sri Lanka.The university has its another campus in Trincomalee.

Academics

*Faculties :*Faculty of Agriculture.:*Faculty of Art & Culture.:*Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce.:*Faculty of Science. :*Faculty of Health-Care Sciences.:*Faculty of Physical Education.

*The Trincomalee Campus:*Faculty of Applied Science.:*Faculty of Communication & Business Studies.

*Other Institutions.:*Swamy Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies.:*Nursing Unit.:*Centre for Information and Communication Technology.:*ELTU(English Language Teaching Unit)

History

The idea of having a Tamil University on the lines of Hebrew University of Israel in the Eastern Province was mooted in 1960 by a group of professors who were teaching at the University of Ceylon. The project was started by purchasing land near Nilaveli, Trincomalee and was abandoned later due to lack of funds. The present project was started by K.W. Devanayakam, the Home Minister of the UNP government with the collaboration of Prof FRSCP Kalpage, Minister of Higher Education during 1981. This university is located in a sandy area and it is not very fertile like the non-calcic brown soils found elsewhere in Batticaloa.

The Eastern University is situated in an area where relative peace is maintained by the warring parties in the Sri Lankan conflict. The UNP government turned the Vantharumoolai High School into a regional university with a view to make it cater to the needs of the local students. The primary instruction was in Tamil and English.

It has a very highly qualified teaching staff, trained abroad in several western countries. It catered for the farming population of the Eastern Province. Eastern Province is the breadbasket of Sri Lanka, producing a record rice production in the Ampara district and is a model for the rest of Sri Lanka and Asia.

The Eastern University has three faculties, namely the Arts Faculty, the Science Faculty, and the Agriculture Faculty. The main campus is situated in Vantharumoolai, near the town of Chenkalady.The campus has another premises in Trincomalee known as "Trincomalee premises of EUSL".

The present Civil War in Sri Lanka has affected the growth and development of the university and the funds from the Central Government is very limited and meagre in comparison with other similar universities.

Faculty of Agriculture

This was one of the first units which started functioning with the inception of the university.

Due to the highly developed Karadiyan Aaru Agricultural Unit there were an abundant supply of qualified professionals in the field of agriculture. Most of them were trained in USA and UK. They were able to run the faculty without any hickups. As such a high quality staff came to work in the faculty and as administrators of the university. Most of them ended as vice-chancellors of the university.

Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine was started in 2006.

Dr Kunanandham (FRCS; PhD), a London qualified neurosurgeon was appointed as the first Dean to pioneer the faculty. He became a member of the University Grants Commission. He was a neurosurgeon and he died unexpectedly, recently in London when he was with his family.

The faculty is growing rapidly and expected to be taught by foreign trained physicians and surgeons.

The faculty needs a lot of foreign backing and Tamil Diaspora is expected to finance the expansion of the infrastructure. Part of the finance may be collected by admitting foreign students and charging them full fees.

Tragidic incidents

Kidnapping and Murder of the vice-chancellor on 15 th of December 2006:

Prof. Raveendranath, who was working at University Grants Commission (UGC) where he had submitted his resignation, was on his way to attend a meeting of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) at Vidya Mawatta near Bauddhaloka mawatta where he was last seen by his driver at 12:30 a.m.

Scenic Location of Batticaloa Campus

The Batticaloa campus is nearer to several international tourist spots like Pasikudah (near Kalkudah)and Arugam Bay

References

See also

* Eastern University massacre - of refugees at the University in 1990.

External links

* [http://www.esn.ac.lk University web]
* [http://tsunami.esn.ac.lk Information Centre on Tsunami Disaster, EUSL]
* [http://www.eusl.net EUSL Batchmates]
* [http://www.esn.ac.lk/blossom2004/ Blossom Annual Magazine of Faculty of Science (2004)]
* [http://www.esn.ac.lk/cict/Index.htm Centre for Information and Communication Technology]