About Us

MR.SAMAN PADUKKAVIDANA
Past President
NDTAA

MESSAGE FROM THE PAST PRESIDENT NDTAA

“To safeguard the NDT for the benefit of the future generations”

Mr. Saman Padukkavidana born in 30 th April 1970 had his education at Ananda College Colombo. He was started his NDT life with 1990/91 batch under the field of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering Technology and Currently serving to SRI LANKA TELECOM. He is one of leading member who initiated NDT past student organization as NDT Alumni Association. With the initiation of this idea among his batch , NDT Alumni Association was formed on the 26th March 2011. And it is fully functional now as a fully pledged alumni looking after the benefits of the past NDTs as well as the present NDT students. The main objective of forming the association is “To safeguard the NDT for the benefit of the future generations”, He is a Life member of NDT Alumni Association, functioned as Trustee of NDTAA for ten years from the formation and Current President of NDTAA 2020/2021.

MR.DAMITHA ABEYKOON
Past President
NDTAA

MESSAGE FROM THE PAST PRESIDENT NDTAA

“Technology is the driving force of the development”

I am very honored & grateful to be the incumbent president of NDT Alumni Association in this remarkable year when we step into 50 th milestone, Golden jubilee year of NDT

This year we NDTans fulfilled another dream which was awaiting for years. That is our new ultra-modern iconic building complex. The construction cost over 11 billion with all modern facilities

1000 students per batch will be recruited once it is opened this year. NDT Alumni Association has planned series of activities to celebrate Golden Jubilee of NDT. Golden jubilee launching ceremony, paper articles, TV discussions, A stamp, family get to gather, felicitation ceremony of prominent NDT holders etc

Success of any organization totally depends on its membership. There are more than 20000 Alumni throughout Sri Lanka and other countries We need to increase our membership up to 5000 by 2020. I urge all the dedicated NDT Alumni to join hand with our enthusiastic team of executive committee to work together and achieve our goals

I take this opportunity to thank the members who started this Association and all past presidents, past executive committee members and all the members and I am sure all of them will continue their support this coming year too. I wish you all the best dear all NDTans .

Thank you.
MR.DAMITHA ABEYKOON

Anton Peiris
Past President
NDTAA

MESSAGE FROM THE PAST PRESIDENT NDTAA

“Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.”

I write this message to the NDTAA news letter with great sense of enthusiasm as the incumbent president of NDTAlumunai Association and more importantly as a member representing the 1st batch of NDTians. I recall the time when we joined katubedda, it was called the Institute of Practical Technology. However no sooner we entered ,the institute underwent several Changes with UNESCO funding .Institute was renamed as the Ceylon College of Technology . The Junior Technical Officers course conducted by the IPT was amalgamated with the three year Diploma in Engineering course with GCE Advance level entry qualification introduced at the CCT. Name of the course was called “Technicians “course.

Even though the post of Technician is well respected in other parts of the world ,it is not properly interpreted and understood here in Sri lanka. As such from day one we had to work hard to get our identity properly established in this country .I guess that is why I see quite a few of our batch mates still engage in the activities of NDTAA. Thanks to our juniors name of the course was changed to National Diploma in Technology, commonly known as NDT which is still the bench mark program even among the engineering diploma causers that had came up later .Therefore remarkable achievement of NDTians gives all of us a fantastic feeling.

I recall with pride the most eminent, elite and successful NDTians in various spheres who have ended up as Chancellors , Professors, Director Generals , Managing Directors, CEOs, General Managers ,Chief Engineers , Civil Servants & the high ranking officials of the Police & the Armed Forces and not forgetting the Politicians.

The contributions of NDTians to the economic development of our country in their respective fields of specialization is of utmost importance. Now that the country is going through a process of rebuilding and re construction which will bring about peace and harmony among citizens of different ethnic and religious back grounds, importance of our role and responsibilities as technologists is felt more than ever before.

It is very pertinent for us to understand that most of us were compelled to follow NDT due to the limited opportunities available in State universities for Engineering Degree program. Although we selected to follow NDT not exactly by choice but by chance ,it has opened us three doors of opportunities namely to use it as a stepping stone to study further and become a Charted Engineer, become an Entrepreneur or to join the Industry to manage and maintain the existing technology and to become worldwide accepted Incorporated engineers.

But today most of the students follow NDT as an alternative route to become Charted Engineers and only a few are aspiring to become incorporated engineers .Hence some are not that interested to get our membership due to this attitude problem. They feel ashamed to join NDTAA. But most of the seniors who have become Charted Engineers today are very proud to mention that they initially stared with NDT. Therefore we must try and change this attitude and get them all together. Other factor is with the opening of private universities and oversees educated diplomates our NDTians have to improve their professional and soft skills to compete with them.

I think, this year we need to concentrate more on the membership, course development and continuing professional development of NDTians .Specially now that the arrangements are being made to change the curriculum to a more assessment based system along with shifting of NDT program to the new premises at Diyagama

I will be failing in my duty if I do not take this opportunity to thank the people who started this association ,the team led by Mr. Saman Paadukkavidana and my predecessors AVM kingsley Samaratunge, Dr. S Recogama, Eng J.K lankatilaka ‘and also my dear college and the immediate Past President Eng Shantha Senarsh and I am sure all of them will continue to give their full support during this year too.

There for let us all get together and put our efforts for NDT programe to be the most effective and most demanded engineering diploma programme in Srilanka.

Eng.Anton Peiris
FIIE(SL),MIET(UK),I Eng(UK), I Eng(SL),GCGI(UK)

Shantha Senarath
Past President
NDTAA

MESSAGE FROM THE PAST PRESIDENT NDTAA

It gives me immense pleasure to send this message to the 1st News Letter of the NDT Alumni Association (NDTAA) of the Session 2014/2015 as the newly elected President.

NDTAA came into being as a result of the initiatives made by the 90/91 Batch of NDT in the year 2011 and it is fully functional now as a fully pledged alumni looking after the benefits of the past NDTs as well as the present NDT students. The main objective of forming the association is “To safeguard the NDT for the benefit of the future generations”,

In order to actively look after the areas of different activities following five sub committees were formed with different missions entrusted to them:

Course Development Committee – To assist the academic staff of NDT at ITUM to uplift the course standard.

Professional Development Committee – To look after the career development of past NDT students

Membership & Recreation Committee – To strengthen the membership as well as to build close relationship among Past & Present NDTs

Public Relations Committee – To build close relationship with the general public.

Fund Raising Committee – To raise funds to meet the expenses of above activities.

I’am very happy to say that the above five committees of NDTAA have been performing very well in par with the missions assigned to them but, we have a lot more to achieve. The fact that the multiple activities lined up for this year under each sub committee is progressing satisfactorily well is a matter that everybody can be happy about.

Upgrading of the NDT course with the assistance of the ITUM academic staff , Increasing of Membership by a minimum of 1000, Conducting a Musical Show as a fund raising activity and the NDT Grand Get together to be held in January-2015 are a few major activities lined up for this session. I’am confident that the present Management Committee comprising a mixture of young and senior members of different career backgrounds is quite capable of handling all above tasks to the satisfaction of the majority.

To date well over 40,000 NDTs / JTOs have been produced in the country and if atleast 25% of them can be made members of the NDTAA within a short period we would be able to make it a formidable front to face the challenges that the NDT is currently facing.

The Advisory Board of NDTAA comprising distinguished personnel in the country, who have started their career after completing NDT, is another asset that our alumni possesses.

I’am glad to mention that the NDTAA Overseas Branches will be a reality soon and initially branches in Qatar and in Australia (Melbourne) will be formed once the Constitution for the Branches is finalized.

It is my earnest request to all past NDTs to rally round the NDTAA by obtaining its membership to strengthen the hands of the association in order to fulfill its noble objective of ‘Safeguarding and Developing the NDT for the future generations’.

Eng. Shantha Senarath NDT, FIESL, IEng.

Eng. Shantha Senarath
- Educated at Matara Rahula College & Colombo Ananda College
- Is from the NDT 67/68 batch of UOM
- An Electrical Engineer with over thirty years experience in Senior
Executive positions in several Semi-Govt. & Private Sector Organizations
- The Chairman & Managing Director of Techno-Plus International (Pvt) Ltd.
- A Fellow of the Institution of Incorporated Engineers, Sri Lanka (IIESL)
- a Trustee and a Past President of the IIESL
- A Past Chairman of the IIESL Past Presidents Forum
- A Past Chairman of INCO Industrial Exhibition
- A Past President of the IIESL Toastmasters Club
- A Past Area Governor of Toastmasters International (Div.O – Dist.’82)
- The current Editor of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA)