Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka

A country with cutting edge innovations will be created- President

  •  Higher Education act to be amended
  •   Innovations to place under the purview of one institute

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assured that he would create an atmosphere to promote Sri Lanka as one of the top countries in the world in terms of innovations.

He emphasized that the requirement of breeding Smart Technocrats with international standards to meet the demands of both global and local markets was a major priority.

The President also highlighted the necessity to commence programs in order to provide vocational and technological know-how to all the school leavers in a short period of time.

He made these comments during a discussion with the State Ministry of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation to review its future plans at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (September 22).

President Rajapaksa described the importance of directing the young generation towards vocational and technological training according to the needs of the economy and added that the students who followed Arts streams could be assigned to hone their skills in the fields such as Information technology, nursing and management. He noted that as a government, it would provide necessary assistance to promote Research and Development in the country.

State Minister Dr. Seetha Arambepola said that a single institute will be established to provide necessary instructions and services for those who seek assistance in the Research and Development sector. In addition, she conveyed the requirement of modernizing the Planetorium and establishing Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC) and Bio Tec Park at one location, during the discussion.

President Rajapaksa highlighted the significance of collaboration between National Institute of Fundamental Studies(NIFS) and Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology(SLINTEC) to carry out researches and innovations.

The revision of course contents and curriculams of the universities, vocational institutes and technical colleges to match the demands of the job market were discussed in depth.

The experts stated that a number of issues pertaining to higher education would be resolved following the amendment of the Higher Education Act.

Heads of Institutes revealed that recruitment of qualified teachers and instructors for technical subjects has been hindered by the low salary scales.

Head of the Presidential Task Force for Economic Revival, Basil Rajapaksa emphasized that the Ocean University of Sri Lanka is responsible for reaching the fishing community and providing them with technical know-how and training in order to reap maximum benefits from the ocean economy.

Secretary to the President, P.B. Jayasundera, Secretaries to the Cabinet and State Ministries, Heads of the Line Institutes and other experts were present at the discussion.

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