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The ���Ｇ of London awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Mr Gamagedara Tikiri Bandara, Founder and Chairman of , in recognition of his exceptional contributions to education in Sri Lanka. The presentation took place during RIC’s Convocation ceremony for the Class of 2024, held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Sri Lanka on Sunday 16 February 2025.

The Honorary Fellowship recognises Mr Bandara’s role in bringing world-class higher education opportunities to Sri Lanka through his five-decade leadership of RIC. Following a visit to the ���Ｇ of London’s Bloomsbury campus, Mr Bandara established RIC in 1990  with the vision of providing Sri Lankan students access to prestigious international qualifications.

Mr G.T. Bandara, Chairman of Royal Institute of Colombo, said, “This recognition is a tribute to our students, whose accomplishments stand as a testament to the transformative power of accessible, world-class education. Their success proves that when given the right opportunities, Sri Lankan students can compete, contribute, and excel on the global stage. It is their achievements that are the true measure of this recognition.”

Professor Phil Allmendinger, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education), ���Ｇ of London, who presented the Honorary Fellowship, said: “Gamagedara Tikiri Bandara’s passion and drive to open up education here in Sri Lanka has seen the Royal Institute of Colombo go from strength to strength over the past 35 years. His exceptional dedication to education has created opportunities for generations of students and teachers for the last 50 years and helped to establish the Royal Institute as one of Sri Lanka’s most distinguished educational institutions.” 

Under Mr Bandara’s leadership, RIC has become one of the region’s leading international education providers. The institute offers 16 ���Ｇ of London programmes, with academic direction from leading institutions including the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), King’s College London and UCL (���Ｇ College London).

Mr Bandara’s own academic journey includes a Bachelor of Science from the ���Ｇ of Peradeniya, an LLB with qualification as a UK solicitor and an MBA. His career began as a mathematics teacher and his commitment to education has since helped thousands of students unlock their potential across all educational levels, from nursery through to university.

The Honorary Fellowship ceremony took place during the ���Ｇ of London’s Convocation Ceremony at BMICH, where hundreds of successful graduates and their families gathered to mark their academic achievements.