One of the largest IT Labs donated by the Bank under its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative to raise national computer literacy levels, the lab at the Technical College comprises of 20 new computers, 20 tables, 20 chairs, a multimedia projector and a photocopy machine.
The bank also renovated the classroom chosen for the IT lab.
The new lab will support the recently established Accounting Process Unit of the Department of Commerce of the College of Technology.
The Department offers courses for the National Certificate for Accounting Technicians (NCAT) and the National Diploma in Accountancy (NDA), as well as for the National Certificate in Secretarial Practice and the National Certificate in Shorthand, Typewriting and Computing.
“After evaluating the courses offered at the Department, the Bank felt it is a vital need for these students to have an IT laboratory since it would allow them to become IT-savvy accounting professionals,” Mr Nandika Buddhipala, Chief Financial Officer of Commercial Bank said.
Commercial Bank’s IT Education initiative is intended to enable younger generations and the country to face the future with confidence with world-class knowledge.
This programme shares synergy with the Bank’s enduring vision of being the most technologically-advanced, innovative and customer friendly financial services organisation in Sri Lanka.
The IT Labs donated by the Bank to date have benefitted an estimated 170,000 students.
All computer laboratories donated by Commercial Bank’s CSR Trust are equipped with brand new computers with licensed software.
The schools are also provided accessories such as computer tables, printers and chairs, and the Bank provides assistance to maintain and upgrade these computer labs when necessary to ensure that the facilities benefit many batches of students.
Other initiatives of the Bank’s CSR Trust in the sphere of education include presenting scholarships and laptops to undergraduates annually, providing English education to rural school children, and a project in partnership with Cisco Networking Academy to offer a comprehensive ‘IT Essentials’ course for teachers and students free of charge, via the Bank’s online Education programme.
Earlier this year, the Bank launched a new educational website called ‘Sipnena’ to support online education in schools and commenced a pilot project to use online test papers to sharpen the mathematics skills of students preparing for their GCE Ordinary Level examinations.
The only Sri Lankan bank to be ranked among the Top 1000 banks of the world for five consecutive years, Commercial Bank operates a network of 246 branches and 618 ATMs in Sri Lanka.
The Bank was ranked the most valuable private sector brand in Sri Lanka in 2014 and has also won multiple awards as Sri Lanka’s best bank from several international publications over several years.
The Bank was adjudged one of Sri Lanka’s 10 best corporate citizens by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in 2013 and 2014.
Photo caption : The IT lab donated by Commercial Bank to Maradana Technical College.
