Senior Professor O. G. Dayarathna Banda assumed duties as the new Director General of the National Institute of Education (NIE) on Monday (20).

He becomes the 15th Director General of the institute based in Maharagama.

Prior to this appointment, he served as a senior professor of economics at the University of Peradeniya and also held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 2015 to 2021.

He has also served as Dean of the Faculty of Management at Uva Wellassa University.

Dayarathna Banda holds a doctoral degree from the National University of Singapore and a first-class honours degree in financial economics from the University of Peradeniya.

He has served as a visiting research professor at several international universities, including the University of Waterloo in Canada, and has authored numerous internationally recognised research publications.

His areas of expertise include applied macroeconomics, international trade, banking and finance, and economic development.