Prof. V. K. Samaranayake, Emeritus Professor of Computer Science, University of Colombo, Chairman Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), Founder Director of both the Institute of Computer Technology (ICT) and the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) passed away on the 6th June 2007, in Stockholm while attending a Swedish Government ICT development Programme.
He is well known in Sri Lanka and internationally among relevant professionals and organizations as an educator and the visionary/pioneer of modern IT policy formulation and implementation in Sri Lanka.
Appointed Professor and Head of Mathematics of the University of Colombo in 1974, he retired as Senior Professor of Computer Science of the University of Colombo on 30th Sept. 2004 after serving the University of Colombo (previously Ceylon) for a continuous period of 43 years since his first appointment in 1961 immediately following his graduation from the same University. He has served the University system in various capacities ranging from Head of Department to Vice Chancellor.
Having begun his career as a Mathematician and an academic he proceeded to invigorate the development of University education. He is identified with several pioneering initiatives and efforts in diverse areas such as Statistics Education, Development Education, Workers Education, IT Education and University Reforms. With the advent of the micro computer, he utilised his expertise in computing and proven management skills to introduce computer education on mass scale in Sri Lanka in Universities, schools and other training/educational institutions.
He was elected the General President of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science during its Golden Jubilee year 1994 and served as the President of the National Academy of Science during the period 1999-2000. He was the founder Director of the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC), and its predecessor, the Institute of Computer Technology (ICT) of the University of Colombo until May 2004.
He has shown extra-ordinary management and partnering skills in establishing the ICT which has now grown in to the new UCSC. Started as a micro computer laboratory at the University of Colombo with British Aid he mobilized resources from the Government of Sri Lanka and UNDP, JICA and other donor agencies to set up a Centre of Excellence in Computing, which was considered by JICA as one of its show pieces of development cooperation in South Asia.
In the area of computing his contributions have been visionary and futuristic - yet most realistic.
In 1995 he was presented with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency President's Award for International Cooperation. In 1997 he was awarded the Visva Prasadini Award for contribution to the development of Computer Science by the Government of Sri Lanka. This was followed in 1998 by the award of the national honour "Vidya Jyothi" by H. E. the President of Sri Lanka, for his contribution to Information Technology, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Independence.
He has also served the Council for Information Technology, the apex National agency for IT in Sri Lanka since its inception in 1985 and as its Chairman for a period of 12 years. In the filed of IT he has pioneered work on IT Policy, Legal Infrastructure, IT in Government, EDI/E-Commerce, Security, Internet Technology, Computer Awareness and IT Education. He was actively involved in the formulation of the UNICODE/ISO 10646 standard for Sinhalese Characters and in the development of multilingual web sites. He has also been instrumental in helping to apply computers in many areas of governance, including in elections. He is currently involved in introducing IT to rural communities and is engaged in developing Multipurpose Tele-Centers.
He chaired the National Y2K Task force that coordinated the very successful crossover to year 2000. He was involved in the establishment of the Internet facility at the remote Community Radio Station at Kotmale. The Multi Purpose Community Tele Centres established by Sarvodaya at several locations around the country were based on a concept developed by him.
More recently he initiated the External Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) of the University of Colombo ( www.bit.lk) to expand quality university education, which in its very first year of operation has attracted 5000 registrations. He is currently the project coordinator of the Sida supported projects on inter-campus networking and capacity building and e-learning. He is also the Project leader of the JICA supported project on Capacity Building of the UCSC.
He has been Chairman of Infotel Lanka Society since 1998 and has been the force behind the organization of the annul International Information Technology Conference(IITC) and the Infotel Exhibition.
In 2002, He was a visiting Fellow of the Information Infrastructure Project of Harvard University and in 2003 he was visiting Fellow of the National Centre for Digital Government of the Kenndy School of Government of Harvard University, USA. He has been appointed Visiting Fellow of the Digital Vision Program of Stanford University for 2004/5.
In his long and illustrious career, Prof. Samaranayake was generously and unstintingly supported by his wife Sirya (nee Abeyratne) who also served the public sector alongside him. One of the best legacies left behind by him is his two sons Samitha and Nayana who have followed in his footsteps to climb high on the ICT ladder in the International arena, having graduated from two prestigious institutions to work in two leading global ICT companies.
