Commencing my observations I wish in the first instance to congratulate the Award winners on their achievement. Much effort has gone into their work and it is altogether fitting that they be congratulated for what they have achieved.
I would also wish to congratulate and thank Professor V.K. Samaranayake on the concept of such an institution as this, and for courageously translating that concept into reality for the benefit of so many students in our country. I thank him also for the words of welcome which he very kindly expressed.
Your graduation at the present level from The University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) is something very significant not only for yourselves but for the whole country. In initiating this program the School has made a significant contribution to a more responsible shaping of the political, economic, social and cultural future of the country. I hope in the years ahead it will make great progress and serve the nation in a big way.
The biggest contribution that the Institute could make ultimately should be some service, even in a minimal way, to better the conditions of life in this country. That is the final goal that any institute of this nature serving in the country, and utilizing public funds, could have.
The courses in computing that this School provides is certainly meant to better the life conditions of the students. Quite naturally therefore it provides also for the betterment of our society. While on the one hand it equips a number of our citizens for better employment on the other hand it also expands the service of one of the most advanced technological developments at the service of mankind today, namely, the computer technology, to the nation. Hence we should all be happy and proud of the contribution that this School makes. We could be proud especially of the fact that the School provides a life skill to our young men and women – a much needed component for the social and economic upliftment of our people.
It is commonly accepted that education for life has a fourfold objective. Education should make people learn to know, learn to do, learn to live together, and learn to be. This means that while students are helped to acquire knowledge they should also be trained in some skills that relate to life and practice not only for self-betterment but also for the benefit of the society in which they live. It further means that they should also learn to understand each other and appreciate each other avoiding conflict and developing a spirit of tolerance. Finally, education should help each one develop a personality to be himself or herself capable of making one’s own judgment and acting on one’s own personal responsibility.
In the past twenty years we have seen the rapid spread of communication technologies through almost every region of the world. Led by the development of the microchip, telecommunications devices have become cheaper, smaller and simpler to use. Supported by the growth of communication networks that span the earth, these communication tools link with each other and connect people and places through data networks (the Internet), voice networks and broadcast networks. But with the commercialization of these networks and equipment, together with their infrastructure, a totally new culture has grown. The programming structures with advertising almost in the forefront have brought in an unprecedented cultural revolution often morally and socially unacceptable.
People today have access to a vast amount of knowledge about the world. And they receive it almost every minute. Where they in the past knew only from their own experience or from what their neighbours spoke of, today they get that information from mediated communication networks. It is important to note that people today are more informed but that information is largely mediated. This is something that we often forget. As a result of this we fail to make our own verification of fact and on the contrary make our judgment of events based on so-called facts baked by biased media barons and presented enticingly for our gullible consumption. Accordingly, a good proportion of the world acts and behaves on prefabricated prejudice.
Another factor that we should remember is that the advent of media, especially now of the digital technologies such as the Internet, has changed the control of information. In the past governments and other organizations, and even parents exercised some degree of control over information. There was a degree of control on both what was diffused and what was received. Today the media institutions have wrested control of all this and there is hardly any control of what is published and what is read or viewed.
Thus it becomes necessary for those guiding the destinies of a people with an important and powerful media need to have a sense of direction and a moral conscience to proclaim the truth. It is said that “facts are sacred, comment is free.” But often this is not the case.
The field of technology in which you are engaged in as students, would have made you convinced of the vast potential that the latest discoveries have created for the development of human society. At the same time it would also have shown you the differences and vast disparities that exist in society which are bound to cause serious tensions and conflicts. Those in the information and communication media would feel this more keenly. This should necessarily provoke you to concern, and to think of remedial measures.
In the face of the scenario that is besetting the world in our times, especially with unfettered globalization particularly in these parts of the world where we live, there is the tendency to turn to the more radical ways of violence, to change the social pattern on the one hand and on the other the tendency to revert to the traditional as we see in fundamentalism – even of different religions, and ultra-nationalism. Both these are dehumanizing factors. Therefore it is imperative that you do realize that an Institute like this should also make graduates aware of the need to inject the human factor back to society if it were ever to make progress, to develop and to thrive.
All this points out to the need and imperative of an adequate moral and ethical formation for those who are being equipped and trained to handle these instruments with high potential for the formation or deformation of society. Their training should also embrace an element of training that would get them to make a significant contribution to a more responsible shaping of the political, economic, social and cultural future of the country and the world.
It is my hope that this School of Computing of the University of Colombo, will emphasize the human dimension of the immense possibilities and challenges opening up before mankind with the science of computing, so that these young graduates, our leaders in the future, will learn to appreciate the innate dignity of each human being, and with their acquisition of knowledge and skills, learn to show respect for the rich variety of cultures, and the religious values which our great founders of religions have enunciated in their quest for authentic freedom, and the building of a world of solidarity, justice and peace. Thank you. |
