Education sector prepared for upcoming tech revolution: Minister

“Education in the country is prepared for the technological revolution that follows the Industrial Revo l u t i o n , ” E d u c a t i o n Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said recently.

The Education Minister has declared that courses will be designed to enable all university students to learn Information Technology (IT).

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the three storied building of the Malabe Boys’ College Faculty of Technology this week, the Minister said students at the university, whether they choose IT as a subject or not, will pass out as students equipped with IT skills.

The Minister said everybody recognises that this process should be introduced in schools as well.

“According to recorded history, the ancient kings of Sri Lanka used indigenous technology to achieve victory over the Portuguese, and those weapons were manufactured with the technology available in the country at the time. History tells us that these were some of the most unique weapons in the world,” he said.

The Minister said technology was a specialised subject and the steel industry was the basis of a country’s industrial development.

The Minister also recalled the history of the establishment of the Steel Corporation. He said in cooperation with Russia, the steel industry in Sri Lanka was established step by step and the iron resources in the country enabled the development.

He also said if the Steel Corporation had worked out a plan with the country’s universities, we would not have had to hand over expensive steel projects to overseas companies. He said the Industrial Revolution had been won by countries based on the steel industry.

He said the Education Ministry’s plan covers all areas that could contribute to opening the doors of technology to all children, especially children studying information technology, who will be able to access expert knowledge that is not available in classrooms as the country opens to digitalisation.

The Minister said it can be transformed into the development and advancement of the country.