ADB grants US $ 27m for technical education
 

by Manjula Fernando

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has issued a US $ 27 million grant towards development projects in Sri Lanka's technical education sector.

The funding will cover the establishing of a University of Vocational Technology as an alternative pathway to higher education for schoolleavers and middle level technicians leading to a degree.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between ADB representative Leah C. Gutierrez, Skills Development Ministry Secretary Tilak Hapangama and Finance Ministry's External Resources Department Additional Secretary General Chandra Ekanayake at the Skills Development Ministry recently.

The ADB assistance will also finance a technical college per province and upgrade selected ones as Colleges of Technology (COT) to offer technical Diploma programmes for GCE A/L qualified and others as mid career training.

The German Technical Co-operation Agency, Japanese International Cooperation Agency, KOICA and USAID have also extended their support to this mega development programme in the technical education sector. The Ministry has earmarked Technical Colleges at Maradana, Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Kandy, Kurunegala, Galle, Ratnapura and Ampara under the COT project.

The Ministry projects an increase in the student intake from the current 600 to 1,500 full time and 1,500 part time with the upgrading of these colleges.

A range of new programmes in Bio-Medical, Ceramics and Clay, Construction, Electrical, Manufacturing & production, Electronic imaging and printing, Mecatronics, Food technology, Marine Technology, Jewellery Design and Manufacturing will be offered at the newly upgraded colleges.

Japan has already undertaken to upgrade the Maradana Technical College followed by KOICA to develop Jaffna Technical College under this mega development drive in the technical education sector which is to be started in 2006.

The ADB project is to be completed in five years from year 2006.