Bank’s IT education related CSR activities align with its corporate Brand Intent, CSR Brand Intent and the nation’s development goals.
The CSR Brand of the Year title presented by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) to the Commercial Bank of Ceylon affirms not just the value and impact of the Bank’s nationally-scaled efforts to elevate IT literacy levels in Sri Lanka, but the strategic alignment the Bank has achieved between its own vision and mission, its CSR initiatives and the country’s development goals.
The Bank’s decision to champion the cause of enhancing IT knowledge of future generations despite not having any immediate business gain for the organisation is anchored to its corporate vision, which is to be the most technologically advanced, innovative and customer-friendly financial services organisation in Sri Lanka, poised for further expansion in South Asia, and its mission to provide reliable, and innovative financial services with the aid of its cutting-edge technology.
By investing a major share of the funds allocated to the Bank’s CSR Trust to technologically equip the future generations of the country, Commercial Bank aims to develop a future customer base that is technologically savvy, employable globally and most importantly capable of effectively using the sophisticated and technologically advanced products and services introduced by the Bank.
Further, its commitment to create a better future through IT literacy by bridging the digital divide, rather than following the well-trodden paths of philanthropy or product-related CSR, aligns both the Bank’s corporate and CSR intent with the country’s Sustainable Development Goals; specifically Goal 4, which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
To this end, the Bank’s social policy is to generate measurable and sustainable social dividends for different segments of society, in particular, thosethat require empowerment most urgently. Upon evaluating the necessity and sustainability of an IT education project, the Bank embarks on it, regardless of whether the activation is in the immediate vicinity of any of its branches. The CSR Trust of the Bank serves all communities, religions, geographical locations, and races without discrimination.
As the largest private Bank in the country, directly serving more than 3 million Sri Lankans, Commercial Bank began its journey to impart IT education in 2011 by donating IT laboratories to schools. Under this flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to raise national computer literacy levels the Bank has to date donated more than 250 IT labs complete with new equipment, infrastructure, and licensed software to deserving schools benefiting approximately 250,000 students.
Further, to promote smart teaching processes, it is also a partner in the government – private sector ‘Smart Schools’ project currently encompassing 65 schools in the Western Province. Under this project, the Bank has helped digitise classrooms with Smart Boards and digital content. In an attempt to offer a background in hardware to students, the Bank has also invested in the training of over 1000 students, free of charge, as qualified hardware technicians by awarding CISCO IT Essentials certificates.
In the same vein, it also developed and launched ‘Sipnena,’ an online platform for digital learning that enables students to access digital course content. Additionally, in partnership with the STEMup Educational Foundation, the Bank launched STEM education in 100 government schools and established 100 coding clubs that facilitate enjoyable learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through simplified and technology-based learning methods.
The Bank’s strategic and logical approach to own the space of IT education and make a significant impact towards empowering the country’s future generations with IT knowledge while seamlessly merging its corporate and social intents has resulted in the completion of approximately 450 CSR projects in education between 2012 and 2021.
Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon neutral bank, the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and the only Sri Lankan bank to be so listed for 11 years consecutively, Commercial Bank operates a network of 268 branches and 938 automated machines in Sri Lanka. Commercial Bank is the largest lender to Sri Lanka’s SME sector and is a leader in digital innovation in the country’s Banking sector. The Bank’s overseas operations encompass Bangladesh, where the Bank operates 19 outlets; Myanmar, where it has a Microfinance company in Nay Pyi Taw; and the Maldives, where the Bank has a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake.
