COVID 19 has challenged the conventional education – Defence Secretary
February 12, 2021- Education sector has experienced shifts that have never seen before
Mentioning the conventional education that has been challenged by the COVID 19 pandemic, Defence Secretary Gen. Kamal Gunaratne (Retd) said I am glad that organisations such as Institute of Supply and Materials Management (ISMM) have been able to overcome such challenges by effective utilization of a ‘Virtual’ platform to continue the education without distressing students.
Raising his concerns to marginalised communities accessing online lessons and lack of learning devices, Gen. Gunaratne praised the magnanimous service rendered by the ISMM in such aspect.
Speaking about the challenges posed in the Supply and Materials Management field, Gen. Gunaratne said risk management for disruptive events in supply chains requires a methodology of monitoring and resilience to mitigate disruptions such as natural disasters and financial crises.
“Globally distributed enterprises to act more quickly when a disruptive event occurs”, he said mentioning that “A systematic approach, such as visualising risks is still important in preventing and mitigating risks”.
The Defence Secretary expressed these remarks while delivering the keynote address at the Annual Convocation of the ISMM, at the BMICH and also stressed “Professionals must know that the disruptive events create not only hindrances, but also opportunities to win business from competitors”.
Secretary, Ministry of Defence and State Ministry of National Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management Gen. Kamal Gunaratne (Retd) was the Chief Guest of the Annual Convocation of ISMM held last evening (Feb 11).
Successful graduates of the ‘2016 - 2019 Batch’ received their parchments from the Chief Guest during the session.
Accordingly, 47 scholars of ISMM received their graduation at the vibrant ceremony and ‘Captain VTD Amarathunga Memorial Award’ dedicated for the ‘Best Student’ and the ‘Highest Aggregate’ was awarded to the Kanchana Rathnayake, during the session.
The Defence Secretary expressing the event as a giant leap forward in their life commended the alumni for their unrelenting will to move forward, until completion of studies, amidst the restrictions imposed by the COVID 19 pandemic that had been a greater concern.
“The education sector across the world has experienced shifts that have never seen before” the Chief Guest said citing the current world pandemic situation and added that “Today we are embarking on a new era, experiencing a different shift and a realisation that we all should embrace”.
A special memento was given away to the Defence Secretary during the event.
The Defence Secretary also congratulated all the graduates and the organizers of the ceremony in his concluding remarks.
The ISMM President IG Perera delivered the welcome address at the outset of the ceremony.
Members of ISMM Council, ISMM Course Directors and Academic Staff, distinguished guests and the relatives of the graduates of year 2016 -2019 batch were also present at the ceremony.
