June 24, Colombo (LNW): Education Minister Susil Premajayantha highlighted the growing preference for private university graduates in the job market due to outdated curricula in state universities.
He made these comments while speaking at the International Industrial Expo 2024 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH).
Minister Premajayantha stressed the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the education system.
He pointed out that the current focus on theoretical knowledge poses significant challenges and called for modernisation across the educational sector.
He emphasised the importance of integrating research and development into education, starting from schools and progressing to universities.
The goal is to transform university research into tangible products, fostering industrial growth.
“The Industrial Development Board initiated School Entrepreneurship Circles in June 2023 at the Ministry. Currently, 16,000 students from 400 schools are actively participating in these circles,” the Minister noted.
He also mentioned that official directives for establishing entrepreneurship circles in schools are being issued.
Education Secretary Ms. Thilaka Jayasundara highlighted the success of the Industry Ministry’s programme, aiming to increase the entrepreneurship rate in Sri Lanka’s workforce from 2.8 per cent to 10 per cent by 2030. The entrepreneurship rate has already risen from 2.8 per cent in 2023 to 3.2 per cent in 2024.
Jayasundara noted that this positive trend is supported by the inclusion of entrepreneurship development in the school curriculum.
Furthermore, steps are being taken to develop the necessary human resources for industries through Sri Lanka’s 12 professional skills institutes.
She projected that achieving a 10 per cent entrepreneurship rate would potentially triple the country’s per capita income.
