CIMA LAUNCH PAD 2008.

You have done us proud…!!!! Congratulations on your greatest achievement…!!!

Champions - large investment category….

Harshani, Gayan, Sara(Team leader), Sharika, Keshini

Runners up - medium investment category…..

Niradh, Siva, Uthpala(Team leader), Rameesha

Wisdom Team emerges winners in the CIMA Mind Challenge 2008

The CIMA Mind Challenge was held at Waters Edge on 27th April 2008, where the team from Wisdom Business Academy successfully became the winners of the competition beating the Dialog Telecom team at the final round by a mammoth margin of over 100 points. The CIMA Mind Challenge is a mastermind quiz competition testing various knowledge areas of students, not merely confined to the CIMA curriculum, but also covers questions from several areas including current affairs, general knowledge, CIMA curriculum, entertainment, sports, business affairs etc. Leading commercial establishments in the business and financial sectors participate in this annual event, which is organized by The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants Students Society (CIMASS). It is praiseworthy to note that Wisdom Business Academy has emerged champions of the CIMA Mind Challenge in four occasions and runners up once since the 2002
This year the event was held in two rounds and 26 teams from the mercantile sector establishments such as Amba Research, HSBC, Dialog, Ernst & Young, SJMS participated competing with the teams from leading CIMA institutes. In the first round the participating teams completed in a table-quiz which comprised 6 rounds with 10 questions in each round and the teams had to answer the questions in a paper based format. At the end of the First round 8 teams were qualified for the Second round leaving out 18 teams in the audience. The second and final round was on a direct answer basis and there were 80 questions presented to the participating teams, where the team answered through their captains at the press of a buzzer. Wisdom Quiz Team took the lead by achieving 215 points with the utmost challenge, defeating the other teams by maintaining a lead of 100 points with the Dialog Team who became Runners up.
Wisdom not only focuses on the academic activities but also provides opportunities for its students to improve their soft skills in various disciplines such as quiz competitions, debates and other social events. The Championship at the CIMA Mind Challenge 2008 is another milestone of their numerous achievements which adds on to the success story of Wisdom.

Charity Project 2008

The “CHARITY PROJECT 2008” organized by the Wisdom Business Academy, was held on the 7th of March, at the Children’s Convalescent Home, Ragama.dsc00073.JPG

The objective of this annual event was to focus the attention of the students of WBA and their parents to the needs of the less fortunate children of our society. The Students’ Society played a major role in carrying out the project in areas of selecting a suitable charitable organization, informing the students, collecting funds and purchasing and collecting stationery and other articles.

The Students’ Society together with the patron Mr. Thilak Mendis, Mr. Chinthaka Wijayaratne – Operations Manager, the lecturers, staff, the Wisdom king and queen and the students who took part, made sure that the children of the Convalescent Home had a memorable day filled with fun and laughter.

Events for the day included games for the children of the home as well as the students of Wisdom, lunch, and a cricket match between the staff and the students, which was followed by a prize giving where each child received a gift pack consisting of a Wisdom bag, exercise book, pens, pencils, erasers, colour pencils, crayons, pencil cases, instrument boxes, bed sheets, pillow cases, nets and toys…

The Society wishes to thank all the students, lecturers, staff, well wishers for their support and participation in making the event a successful one.

“We sincerely believe that we played a small in making this world a better place…”
~Students’ Society – Wisdom Business Academy

Wisdom Nite 2007

“Wisdom Nite 2007”, was yet another mega event organized by the students of WBA. It is an annual event which brings together all the students, lecturers & staff of Wisdom Business Academy to enjoy, relax & interact with each other.

The organizing committee, selected by Mr. Thilak Mendis (Patron, Wisdom Students’ Society) & Mr. Chinthaka Wijayaratne (Operations Manager), was challenged with organizing the event with short notice of about two weeks. The Committee came together from almost all the batches of Wisdom & they became a team, a family that made the almost impossible - possible. They were successful in collecting over Rs. 500,000 from sponsorships & ticket sales. The surplus of the Dinner Dance was to be allocated for the annual Wisdom Charity Project.

The Wisdom Nite was held at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel on the 17th of December 2007. The turnout at the dance was over 200. The distinguished guests included Mr. Bradley Emerson – CEO, CIMA Sri Lanka Division and Directors of Wisdom Business Academy. A special appreciation was made to Mr. Clancy Peiris by the Students of Wisdom for becoming the No. 1 CIMA lecturer in the world. The annual prize distribution for the prize winners at the CIMA examinations too was held. The other exciting events included the crowning of the Wisdom king and queen, the raffle draw, and the baila dancing competition.

‘Wisdom Nite 2007’ could be tagged as one of the most successful events in the history of Wisdom. The hard work, dedication & the team effort of the organizing committee was evident at the night & they went on to form the Wisdom Students Society 2008/2009

Wisdom Business Academy Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary

Wisdom Business Academy celebrates its fifth successful year in operation this year. In conjunction with the fifth year anniversary commemorations, Wisdom held special religious ceremonies at its premises on 06^th July 2007 to invoke blessing to the academy.

This was preceded by a visit to the Victoria home in Rajagiriya where the Wisdom staff and management were warmly welcome by the residents of the home.

After a special event held at the Victoria home the Wisdom staff made some valuable donations.

Wisdom’s Charity Project

This year’s charity project was targeted at the students of the School for visually impaired, Ratmalana. The event was held at the school premises in Ratmalana on 5^th March 2007 and was graced by the Wisdom’s Board members, management, lecturers, staff as well as a crowd from its student body.

Speaking at the event, a Director of Wisdom cum Patron of the Students Society, Mr. Mallik De Silva said: ”We pride ourselves on what life has blessed us with only when we carry out such projects, as human beings it is important to give back something to those deprived of the luxury we have.”

The event included a musical and band performance by the students of the School for the Blind concluded by a cricket match played between two teams of visually impaired students.

The Charity Project marks the corporate social responsibility of Wisdom Business Academy, which is not merely a tutorial college but is one that goes beyond the average scope of education to engaging its students in various co curriculum and extra curriculum activities.

WISDOM moves a step further………

Recognising the present high demand in Sri Lanka for international qualifications, specially undergraduate and postgraduate study programmes, Wisdom has taken a step further and linked with three prestigious UK universities: Middlesex University, London Metropolitan University and UCE Birmingham.

Wisdom launched its university student recruitment and advisory services on 26^th January 2007 at the Moonstone Ballroom, Ceylon Continental Hotel.

Middlesex University aims to be a global University which is based in North London. Middlesex recruits widely across the world and works in partnership to deliver outstanding higher education in many countries. Their internationalism is key to their future ambition as North London’s university of choice. Middlesex is proud of their many achievements and their international reputation as an innovator in higher education. Middlesex University was one of the first universities in the UK to introduce a semesterised modular degree scheme - some 24 years ago - and provide the opportunity for students to study joint honours and combined programmes of study. Since then, the number of subjects and programme combinations offered by Middlesex has grown tremendously. Today, along with offering the widest possible choice of subjects in a number of combinations, their students have the option of a January start, Summer School, semester abroad, Work Based Learning and work placements. The University has over 100 collaborative partner universities and colleges in the UK and overseas. In addition to their London campuses, they now have a campus in Dubai and deliver modules and programmes to over 6000 students overseas. To ensure that all these valuable elements of the University’s academic structure are sustained and their quality further enhanced, a new academic structure which they are calling the Learning Framework will take effect throughout Middlesex from September 2007. The Learning Framework will allow them to further develop their academic offering in such a way as to reduce the complexity that comes with a diverse and flexible offer and provide more streamlined and flexible programmes, systems and processes. In 2006 two of their academics became National Teaching Fellows of the Higher Education Academy (only 50 such awards were made nationally). Middlesex is one of very few universities to have been awarded three Queen’s Anniversary Prizes. Middlesex is committed to outstanding teaching and learning.

London Metropolitan University is largest single university in London, and among the largest in Britain, giving the students access to a huge range of courses as well as excellent resources and support facilities. This university is located in the heart of London — a major international cultural and communications hub and one of the most exciting cities in the world and 16 of their subjects were rated as ‘excellent’ by the QAA (who review all UK universities), including Business and Management, which received top marks of 24 out of 24. They also have extensive and well-established links with employers, professional bodies and research organisations, as well as courses that are directly relevant to industry and commerce. The students will find a friendly, approachable University that welcomes students from many walks of life and from all around the world. Their aim is to provide a quality learning experience and value for money, which is what all of us are looking for. They also have several internationally acclaimed research institutes. Their mission is to provide education and training to help students achieve their full potential — education for personal development and social justice.

UCE Birmingham is a large, diverse, historic provider of higher and further education for the people of Birmingham and beyond. From their seven faculties and seven campuses, they at UCE Birmingham deliver over 300 courses to more than 23,000 students. In pursuing their historic aim of providing an inclusive education for employable graduates, they work with organisations in the private and public sectors to ensure the highest possible standards of delivery. Speciality of their seven faculties are given below. The Birmingham Conservatoire, a music college of international stature training musicians to the highest standard in performance and composition. Its concert hall hosts around 375 music events every year. The Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD), the largest centre for design and media education outside London and rated as one of the top ten UK Art and Design institutions. The UCE Business School, a key regional centre which, with 4,000 students, is one of the largest business schools in the UK. Specialisms include organisational development, knowledge management, auditing and Entrepreneurship. The Faculty of Education, which trains teachers and related professionals at levels from foundation degrees to PhD. Performance indicators published by the Teacher Training Agency demonstrate its outstanding achievements. The Faculty of Health, one of the country’s largest centres for non-medical health education, and including the new Defence School of Health Care Studies, which trains military nurses and professionals. The Faculty of Law, Humanities, Development and Society, where courses in law, social and political studies equip students for a range of professional careers. Work experience opportunities include placements with US law firms. The Technology Innovation Centre (tic), offering a wide range of courses in computer technology, multimedia and engineering. Its Millennium Point facilities are among the best in the country.

Wisdom has already started the operation and would welcome anyone who is interested with open arms. Our services will include: guiding the students to choose the suitable study programme at affordable fee bands, application processing, finding accommodation, visa guidance etc. An unique service that we would offer will be maintaining close contacts with the students, even till they complete their study programmes in UK. All these services will be offered to students by Wisdom free of charge.
These affiliations with the universities serve only to strengthen our mission, which is to provide unmatched and reliable educational services to students and to simply be the best.

Mind Challenge 2006

Wisdom Business Academy, the Specialist in CIMA Education is the number one institute for CIMA in Sri Lanka. With an annual student enrolment of over six thousand students, the institute holds 60% of Market share for conducting the CIMA Course and has successfully become the second largest CIMA institute in the world.
Apart from its excellent fortress, the large number of Prize Winners and its high per session pass rates; Wisdom Business Academy provides opportunities for students to improve their soft skills by participating in extra curriculum events organized by both the Wisdom Student Society and the CIMA Divisional Student Society.
Two of the popular events annually organized by CIMA Divisional Student Society are the ‘CIMA Mind Challenge’ and ‘CIMA Strategic Forum’. The events include participants from CIMA Tutorial Colleges, The Mercantile Sector and independent teams. Wisdom Business Academy has, in its four-year history participated and succeeded in both events numerous times.

The Mind Challenge

The Mind Challenge is a mastermind quiz competition testing various knowledge areas of students, not merely confined to the CIMA curriculum. The Event is held in three rounds; the paper round, semi final and final rounds. Wisdom has over the years grabbed the Champs trophy thrice in this event.
This year’s Mind Challenge was held at Waters Edge on 20th August where Team Wisdom successfully qualified to the final round and emerged Runners up on a close contest to Amba Research.

The Strategic Forum

The Strategic Forum was initially a Business Debate which over the years became a presentation debate themed ‘A Battle in the Boardroom’ where participants from each team are implied to be business consultants whose job is to convince the judges on their proposal with supporting arguments from their respective case. The event is held in three rounds; the preliminary round, semi finals and finals.

This years event was as mentioned above; held in three rounds where Team Wisdom beat opposition teams from Mercury Institute of Management, Ernst and Young and Achievers Business School in the Preliminary, Semi-Final and Final rounds respectively to go up as champs for the third time in its fifth year running.

Wisdom Business Academy salutes its budding young professionals for bringing pride to the institute. There are plenty more stars in the Wisdom horizon, the institute will in no doubt achieve excellence in its future endeavours.

CIMA mind challenge 2005 winners

From left : Prabath Chinthana, Mallik De Silva (Director Wisdom Business Academy), Imran Furkhan, Ian Christison (CIMA Global President), Kasun Ariyadasa, Pradap Deveraj, Tharindu Ediriwickrama and Heshan Peiris.

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants Students Society (CIMASS) is the elected representative body of over 11,000 registered CIMA students and passed finalists in Sri Lanka and is highly focused on adding value to them through various Educational and Social activities such as debates, quizzes, seminars, factory visits etc. These activities are aimed at developing the skills and competencies of the students in order to make them complete, competent management accountants.

CIMA mind challenge 2005 organised by CIMASS was held in grand scale at Colombo Plaza on 18^th September 2005. CIMA global president Mr. Ian Christison was also present, thus making it the first CIMASS event attended by such personality. The quiz covered questions from several areas including current affairs, general knowledge, CIMA curriculum, entertainment, sports, business affairs etc.

 First round took the form of a table quiz where, about 100 participants from a numerous organisations took part. Through the table quiz 4 teams were selected for the semi finals and Wisdom achieved first place with a convincing lead.

In the semi finals Wisdom’s opponent was AMBA Research, a leading consulting firm whose team consisted of very professional individuals. Wisdom surpassed the AMBA challenge in the final question of the final round to book a birth in the final to meet the opponent, Academy of Business Studies (ABS). The final was one way traffic where the lead was almost 100 points when the two final contestants came up on stage. A gallant effort of the last ABS candidate was a bit too late in the day for it to have any impact. Final score Wisdom: ABS – 100:60. 

Thus Wisdom ended up claiming the trophy for the third time in four years of its history.
( Sunday Observer - 30.10.2005 )

CIMA Sports day 2005 pictures……..