People

Appointed Mentor of WIEF

Hasna Hizbullah Iflal, a director of Hejaaz International School was appointed a Mentor of World Islamic Economic Forum Businesswoman Network (WBN) at the WBN Forum held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia.

The WBN Alumni Network and WBN Mentorship Programme were launched at the Forum.

The Board of Directors of Hejaaz International, comprising Managing Director N.M.M. Hizbullah, Principal Zarina Hizbullah, Director Hefraz Hizbullah and Hasna participated in the three- day event.

The World Islamic Economic Forum (WIFE) is a global organisation formed and committed to bringing together government leaders, captains of industries, academic scholars, regional experts, professionals and corporate managers and CEO to discuss business partnerships and opportunities in the Muslim world.

The first forum was held in 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The WIEF Businesswoman Network (WBN) was mooted at the inaugural Forum in 2005. WBN organises the annual WIEF Women Entrepreneurs Workshops, which have attracted women entrepreneurs from countries all over the world. Hejaaz International School had the privilege of being included as one of its members, having considered their stability, infrastructure, growth and service to the Muslim community. It was the only Muslim instit

ution to be to be included from Sri Lanka.

Mentors were asked to share their success stories and Hasna said how the school was set up by “Two unhappy people who complained about the education or the lack of it in our minority Muslim community twenty one years ago. They were my father, a Director of Education and my mother, a Science teacher in a boys’ school, with fifty five years of experience between them”, she said. Hasna also spoke of the initial issues they faced but now had set up Hejaaz International School, a foremost Muslim institution in the island. she said although she was a Chemistry graduate she had to change course as the school needed education-related qualifications.

The three-day event concluded with speeches from other Mentors.

Awarded Lakshman Kadirgamar Journalism scholarship

Kavinda Christopher Thomas, who came first in the Sri Lanka College of Journalism 2014-2015 batch was awarded the Lakshman Kadirgamar Journalism scholarship this year and will be attending an advanced media studies course at the prestigious MASCOM Academy in Kottayam, India. The College is managed by the Malayala Manorama Group of Newspapers.

Thomas, 21 will be under the supervision of Professor Thomas Oommen, the well-known journalism academic who heads MASCOM and has tutored several famous Indian journalists over the years. He had earlier been with the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai.

A former student of St. Peter’s College, Colombo, Thomas was the editor of the school magazine Panhinda, was a platoon member of the school’s Air Cadet Wing Corp. and took part in several sports activities.

He has worked at Gold FM and SUN FM of ABC Networks and interned at MTV MBC television network.

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Journalism scholarship is given annually in memory of the late Sri Lankan Foreign Minister by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Foundation in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGOSL) and Malayala Manorama, one of the largest circulating newspaper houses in India.