Message from President

The year 2011 is special for chemists because it has been declared the International Year of Chemistry (IYC)—2011 by the United Nations Organization. The attention grabbing slogan “Chemistry—Our life, Our Future” pithily expresses the importance of chemistry in our life and the crucial role it has to play in the future. If Chemistry is central to our life, it goes without saying that chemists and the educational institutions and curricula that produce chemists are important. For some years now in Sri Lanka, those involved in the field of education have been wringing their hands and helplessly repeating that there are employers looking out for workers and that there are unemployed people looking for jobs but never the twain meet with mutual benefit and satisfaction. Are our educational institutions producing unemployable products?

Today there is a great mobility of workers globally. It is common knowledge that some job vacancies in Sri Lanka are being filled by foreign workers. It is also true that today there are all kinds of unusual and new jobs in Sri Lanka that were unheard of say 50 or even 25 years ago. The great need is to devise and popularize courses and programmes of study that will produce employable workers.

Ambition is a good thing, but what do we do with the thousands of A/Level students who yearn to become doctors or engineers and are frustrated when they do not gain entry to the faculties of their choice in state universities even after doing the A/Levels three times? Some of them spend enormous sums of money overseas, and return home having trained as doctors in Czechoslovakia, Bangladesh, Nepal and so on only to find that they cannot find employment here because the job vacancies are limited. I understand that there are many unemployed doctors, who received their medical training in foreign lands. These are hardworking and highly motivated students. It is a pity they did not divert their talents to other fields.

Chemistry is not only a central science (necessary for medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, chemical engineering, agronomy, pharmacy, nutrition and so on) it is also a versatile science. A chemist can fit into a wide variety of jobs. We at the Institute of Chemistry have done our part to popularize chemistry. Mention must be made of the extra effort made by many to seize the opportunities offered by IYC—2011 to raise awareness among the public and secondary school students of the opportunities offered to chemists to better their own prospects and to serve society and our country. Special mention must be made of CHEMEX—2011, an exhibition held this year from January 27-29 at the BMICH, Colombo. The exhibits and activities provided were wide and varied, and the response from the public and students was overwhelming.

The Institute of Chemistry is justifiably proud that its educational arm, the College of Chemical Sciences, has produced professional chemistry technicians and graduates for about 40years. Students who have gone through the College of Chemical Sciences are our best ambassadors. Many of them have done us proud locally and internationally. The industry and enthusiasm of our students keeps the staff on its toes. Courses are revised and new courses are added to keep abreast of developments in Chemical Education and the demands of the job market. As the honorary Dean keeps pointing out, the significant and praiseworthy contribution that the College makes in educating chemists is no financial burden to the national exchequer.

We have no intention of resting on our laurels. The College has grown beyond anyone’s expectations from small beginnings. It will continue to provide quality education in the field of Chemistry.

Research is a part of the training provided at the College of Chemical Education as it is in the universities. Research that is relevant to and appropriate for Sri Lanka will surely find applications that will benefit society and our country. We hope to foster this.

I appeal to members of the Institute of Chemistry to recruit new members, especially young technicians and graduates. We need young and energetic members to carry on the good work of the Institute.

S. Sotheeswaran