https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5739 Wed, 13 May 2026 10:21:45 GMT 2026-05-13T10:21:45Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5764 The determinants of migration of Sri Lankan young engineers to Australia – A case study Wijesinghe, DPS; Wijesinghe, VPT The migration of professionals or brain drain is a widely discussed issue in developing countries. Professionally qualified engineers in developing countries migrate to developed countries for different reasons. Currently, young engineers who graduated from state universities in Sri Lanka migrate to Australia at an increasing rate. This research aimed to identify the push & pull factors that cause Sri Lankan young engineers to migrate to Australia as a case study. Using Facebook, we gathered a representative sample of Sri Lankan young engineers living in Australia and administered a 5-point Likert-type online questionnaire. Sixty-three engineers anonymously responded to the survey. The Australian government's introduction of the Subclass 476 – Skilled Recognized Graduate Visa is a significant motivator for Sri Lankan young engineers to migrate to Australia. Results showed that political influence and corruption were major driving forces behind the young engineers’ migration, as were lower salaries and unfavorable working conditions in Sri Lanka. In contrast, opportunities for career advancement and education and a desire to gain exposure to a new culture are strong reasons to move to Australia. The majority of migrated engineers prefer the life they live in Australia. Outcomes of this study will support stakeholders of the engineering profession in Sri Lanka to tackle the brain drain issue of engineers in Australia. Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5764 2021-11-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5763 Assessing the effectiveness of an online teaching intervention in reducing the Public Speaking Apprehension (PSA) among the second-year law undergraduates in Kotelawala Defence University Sudusinghe, WS; Gamage, CKW Public speaking skills are a mandatory requirement for law undergraduates to become competent future lawyers. Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) is one of the crucial issues faced by law students. Therefore, the current study was designed as a pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effectiveness of an online teaching intervention in reducing the PSA among second-year law undergraduates at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), SriLanka. More than fifty-three individuals from two of the four groups prepared to undergo lectures were randomly chosen for the study. The online teaching intervention continued for 15 weeks via the zoom platform. It consisted of gradual exposure, Communication Orientation Modification (COM), skills training, humour, and simple breathing exercises. A self-administered questionnaire consisted of an assessment of socio-demographic data followed by the Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA) scale was used in the data collection. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential analysis in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.0. According to the normality tests, the distribution of the pre-test data was normal, but the post-test data was not normal. Hence, the researcher used both parametric and non-parametric tests. The mean (±SD) age of the participants was 22.15 (±4.857) years, and the majority of them were females (83.0 %: n=44). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that the 15-week online teaching intervention on managing the PSA had resulted in a statistically significant reduction in the PRPSA score (Z =-5.761, p=0.000). Hence, the current study has revealed that the online teaching intervention conducted among the second-year Law undergraduates in managing the PSA has successfully reduced the PSA among the study participants. However, further experimental research is needed to assess associated factors related to PSA among Law undergraduates. Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5763 2021-11-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5762 A revisit of National Science & Technology Policy for the development of small and medium enterprises in Sri Lanka Piyumal, KTR; Samarakoon, KW; Hirimburegama, K Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) played a crucial part in the Sri Lankan economy and acknowledged as the country's backbone for industrial growth. However, the recent studies in this sector exhibit that Sri Lanka has not achieved the desired level needed in the modern world compared with other countries, especially within the region. This study examined and reviewed extensive literature, gathering information from experts in the national economic development and science and technology innovation. That helped to identify the major challenges on the National Science & Technology Policy (NSTP) and development of Sri Lankan SMEs, including various contributions to the national economy, with the challenges faced and the initiatives and incentives offered by related authorities. There are several significant factors identified among challenges. They are; lower level of science-based technological innovation, limited skilled of human resources with less commitment, the absence of broad-based scientific knowledge, weak implementation of policies, weak commercialisation of research & indigenous knowledge, poor sustainability of natural resources, lack of expert knowledge, high-cost technology import and leverage of much technology, informal use of technology, the reluctance of rural people to integrate with new technology and hesitance to pay for the technology, lower levels of research & development facilities, a high level of international competition, a high level of private-sector interference with less government involvement, and weakness of national fund gathering and distribution.These lapses suggest that the existing policies are insufficient or may not be delivered effectively to overcome these challenges. This study makes an effort to identify the irregularities of NSTP as a positive step and propose a way forward in formulating a workable framework to upgrade SMEs in Sri Lanka that would be highly effective Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5762 2021-11-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5761 The current role of Cobalt-60 teletherapy in cancer care Ramanathan, V Cobalt-60 teletherapy for cancer treatment is becoming less common. It is due to advances in Linac technology, such as beam collimation, conformal radiation therapy, and intensity modulation. Despite this, most developing countries rely on Cobalt teletherapy because of low prices, scarcity of skilled medical professionals, and uncomplicated treatment procedures. The goal of this study was to see how Cobalt teletherapy is used in cancer care around the world right now—the IAEA-DIRAC database to gather information for this investigation. Nearly every country has some radiation facility in the DIRAC areas. Other data gathered for all countries in DIRAC regions included the number of teletherapy machines and each country's population and income group. For every DIRAC region (high income, upper middle income, lower middle income, and low income), this chart information shows how many megavoltage treatment units are currently available. Within each income bracket, linear accelerators and Cobalt teletherapy machines were distributed in 2006, 2013, and 2020, respectively. Around the globe, there are currently 1766 Cobalt teletherapy units available, or 12.7% of all available external beam radiotherapy machines. The majority of Cobalt teletherapy units located in developing countries are about to 86 percent. Megavoltage machine per million people varies widely around the world. Currently, there is a 0.12 to 9.11 megavoltage machine per million population range available, which is supplemented by 0.04 to 1.41 from Cobalt teletherapy. Even though there is a declining trend, the use of Cobalt teletherapy is unavoidable in low- and middleincome countries to manage the increasing number of new cancer cases. Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.kdu.ac.lk/handle/345/5761 2021-11-01T00:00:00Z