“When looking at the university community, I think everyone needs education on the stock market and should have financial literacy; not just the Faculty of Management, academic staff but also the non-academic staff to manage finances in daily life.”– Vice Chancellor, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.
“Promoting financial literacy among Sri Lankans, especially among undergraduates is important as they are a key segment of the population who will contribute towards building a stable economy in the future.” – CEO, CSE
The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently (19.07.2023), with the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, to formalize collaborative efforts to improve financial literacy among undergraduates in Sri Lanka.
The collaboration proposes to promote capital market education among undergraduates, by working together on a number of mutually beneficial strategic initiatives. Accordingly, the initiative would offer practical educational training and internship opportunities for students of the University of Ruhuna, who are engaged in accountancy and finance, business management, and economics-related degree programmes with the CSE.
Furthermore, under the terms of the MoU, the CSE will grant an award to the student who obtains the highest value in the Grade Point Average (“GPA”) in the Financial Management Specialization Programme.
The University of Ruhuna will also collaborate with the ongoing educational initiatives of the CSE, including the Advanced Diploma in Financial Markets (ADFM), as well as in future educational and research activities, by providing the required expertise and resource persons.
Commenting on the partnership, the CEO of the CSE, Rajeeva Bandaranaike, stated, “Promoting financial literacy among Sri Lankans, especially among undergraduates is important as they are a key segment of the population who will contribute towards building a stable economy in the future. Taking cognizance of this objective, we are pleased to partner with the University of Ruhuna, to engage in a productive line up of initiatives to promote financial literacy among undergraduates in the Ruhuna university.”
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ruhuna, Senior Professor Sujeewa Amarasena, also shared his views and thanked the Colombo Stock Exchange for signing the Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Ruhuna, to bring more opportunities to both parties.
“Most people do not invest in the stock market, not because they are out of capital but due to a lack of financial literacy. When looking at the university community, I think everyone needs education on the stock market and should have financial literacy; not just the Faculty of Management, academic staff but also the non-academic staff to manage finances in daily life.”
“Thus, with financial literacy, the students would be able to engage in businesses and careers within ethical boundaries, something that Sri Lanka lacks at the moment. That will also help to boost our economy.” he further said.
The Professor also suggested to launch stock market clubs in all faculties of the university.