“Skills development should start at school”

Skills development must be incorporated at the school level so that students are trained from their early years to acquire necessary vocational skills that will help them select their professions, Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Minister President’s Counsel, Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said.

Work has commenced to prepare an updated education system which is relevant and compatible with the present day, he said.

Minister Dr. Rajapakshe expressed these views during his keynote address as the chief guest at the 2023 Annual Graduation Ceremony of the Skill Development and Training International Institute (SDTI Campus) held on Monday (11) at the BMICH, Colombo.

Graduates and diploma holders who studied courses in a wide range of fields such as counselling, nursing, banking, IT, fashion, management and teaching received their degrees and diploma certificates at this convocation ceremony.

The Minister also stated: “We highly appreciate the vision and mission of SDTI Campus for the yeoman service it is doing to create a future for thousands of young people who could not get admission to universities.”

“Some 45,000 of students who appeared for the GCE Advanced Level Examination are admitted to universities. But lakhs of students who have sat for the GCE Advanced Level Exam lose the opportunity to get admission into universities. Therefore, a special arrangement is required for students who do not get university admission.”

“We studied the education system of our country in a Parliamentary special committee and submitted a report. The education policy of Sri Lanka cannot be allowed to change each time the Government and Education Minister changes. Acting as the Chairman of this special committee, we proposed these important points. We are urgently in need of an updated, timely and relevant education policy and an education system that will not change based on political interference.”

“It has been proposed to abolish the existing University Grants Commission and Vocational Training Authority and establish a Higher Education Commission instead. In that commission, there should be two special sections to look into the state and private sector universities and a separate system to check the quality of the universities.”

“It is the Government’s responsibility to provide quality education to the youth. Skills development has been neglected in our education system today. Therefore, skill development should be given precedence and priority in the country’s education system. Under a constitutional system, steps should be taken to adjust the education system to match and absorb the present-day competitive global advancements. Special attention of the President has also been focused on this vital need.”

The Minister further said that if a proper education system with a National Education Policy is not prepared without further delay, the lives and future of countless numbers of youth in the country will be wasted.

Ven. Nedungamuwe Rahula Thera bestowed Buddhist religious blessings while SDTI Chairman Dr. Shan Bandara and Lecturer N.T. Bandara shared their views at this event.

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