Rector's Message

I congratulate the staff of the Department of English & Modern Languages of SIBA Campus on the issue of IRIS Volume V. IRIS is the SIBA forum for creative writers. It offers a top-notch platform for creative writers to display their writing skills and hone their creative competencies. The Department of English & Modern Languages of SIBA does not promote conventional language teaching. Our mission is to promote English language learning for communicative purposes. As we know, today, commercial, industrial, and service sectors are in dire need of creative people and good communicators. As such, IRIS is yet another step towards producing graduates with creative thoughts and excellent communication skills. Though SIBA is relatively a small university college, we have a clear vision of rendering quality education for the 21st century.

I am happy to see that IRIS has produced a bunch of enthusiastic writers who show high potential of becoming full-fledged poets, short story writers, and essayists in the future. I take this opportunity to thank the editor-in-chief, the award-winning veteran writer Ms. Kamala Wijerathne, for her efforts to fine-tune the creative capacities of our writers by conducting creative writing workshops. I also thank the members of the academic staff of the Department of English & Modern Languages, headed by Ms. Buddhi Ariyaratne, for bringing forth the fifth volume of IRIS, despite the hindrances caused by the epidemic situation in the country. All the writers who contributed to IRIS Volume V deserve acknowledgment, too. The encouraging hand given by many others who supported in many ways to make IRIS Volume V a reality is much appreciated.