International Symposium on Social Science and Humanities: Development towards Sustainability

The 2nd International Symposium on Social Science and Humanities 2019, organized by the National Centre for Advanced Studies (NCAS) with the Higher Education Ministry, commenced yesterday under the aegis of the High Commission of India. It will continue today at Water’s Edge. The NCAS promotes research and advanced studies in Humanities and Social Sciences. The symposium keynote address was delivered by John D. Rogers, US Director of the American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies. Speeches were made by Dr. Rohantha Athukorala, a marketing professional with over 18 years experience and Prof. Chandra Kant Sharma, Head of the Institute of Agriculture Sciences, SAGE University, India. The Guest of Honour was Higher Education Ministry Secretary Anura Dissanayake, while the co-chair was Prof. Dilkushi Senarathne, NCAS Senior Research Fellow.

NCAS Director Prof. Lal Mervin Dharmasiri said the event aimed to provide a helping hand to those engaged in higher studies in Social Sciences and Humanities.

The symposium covers the following themes:

 

 

“The NCAS has held five national level conferences previously. This year we have received more than 200 research abstracts including several abstracts from foreign countries,” Prof. Dharmasiri added. “We have selected the best 60 abstracts which will be further developed and published in the Sri Lanka Journal of Advanced Social Studies which we are currently working on.” 

The conference was open to the state and private sector including private universities.

The NCAS recognizes the need to upgrade teaching and research in Sri Lankan universities. NCAS supports theoretical and applied postgraduate, post-doctoral and other research in Humanities and Social Sciences and promotes advanced thinking and creative originality by motivating academics in 

that direction.

Its objectives are

 

 

Prof. Dharmasiri said they had provided financial assistance for university academics to pursue PhDs and MPhils under its grants scheme. “We have sent 500 academics out of which 350 grantees have completed their postgraduate degrees,” he said.