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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

182 New KDU Graduates Pass Out During Intake 27 Convocation at BMICH

The Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) Convocation - 2013 for conferment of Bachelor and Master degrees on 182 military officers, got underway on Tuesday (29) evening at the newly-refurbished Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) with HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest.

A total of 93 Army, 49 Navy, 40 Air Force Cadet Officers, who read for those degrees under the Intake 27 at the KDU, received graduation in Master of Science (Defence Studies) and Bachelor of Science (Defence Studies).

Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary Defence and Urban Development, Tri-service Commanders and a gathering of senior military officers and scholars attended the ceremony as distinguished invitees.

KDU Chancellor General (Retd) R.D. S. Daluwatte received the Chief Guest, President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and respectfully ushered him to his seat after taking him in a procession, made up of KDU academic staff and graduands in keeping with university traditions.
 
The convocation commenced with the official declaration of the opening of the conferment soon after the national and university anthems rent the air.

As the ceremony was gathering momentum, Major General Milinda Peiris, Vice Chancellor announced the names of graduands as the Deans of Faculties, Director, Institute of Post Graduate Studies and Director of Academic Studies in turn presented the graduands to the Chancellor for conferment.

The climax of the day’s event reached when HE the President Rajapaksa on the invitation of the KDU Chancellor, awarded the trophies to the graduates who did exceptionally well in different disciplines, including Engineering, Management and Technical Science, Academic Studies, Military Studies, Sports, etc.

President Rajapaksa after awarding the trophies addressed the gathering. Before his exit, President Rajapaksa, giving a symbolic memory to the occasion sat together with graduates for a group photograph at their request.

With the KDU Chancellor declaring the convocation closed, the national anthem brought the proceedings to a formal end.

Several past Commanders, former Chancellors and Vice Chancellors, senior tri-service officers, parents, well-wishers and invitees were present at the occasion.