To benefit from economic opportunities:
Training, skills development crucial
Education and skills development are vital sectors in our country
today, to enable youth to benefit fully from the abundant opportunities
which have opened up with the dawn of stable peace, External Affairs
Minister Prof G L Peiris said yesterday.
He made this observation in his address as Chief Guest at a ceremony
to induct Harischandra Vidyalaya, Negombo Prefects.
Prof Peiris said, as a University Professor and former
Vice-Chancellor and as a teacher of 26 years’ standing, he found it very
fulfilling to observe the scope currently available to appropriately
trained youth to build a strong economic foundation for the future and
to make a success of their lives. The volumes of international trade and
investment are now recording a dramatic increase in keeping with the
economic revival, in Sri Lanka.
With the unprecedented infrastructure development with a special
emphasis on ports and harbours as well as the highways network, Sri
Lanka’s interaction with the world at large has become deeper and more
intense, the Minister said.
The economy is growing by more than 80 percent and the services
sector is particularly robust in its performance. The most visible
developments are in the tourism sector, with substantial investment of
both local and foreign capital in the expansion and the upgrading of
facilities as a result of the influx of tourists.
The BPO and KPO sectors are specially promising as a source of new
employment opportunities, the Minister said. One of the striking
features of developments in the agricultural sector is the emphasis on
value addition, he continued. The industrial sector is also set to
expand significantly, with an increase of almost 16 percent in the
capital available to entrepreneurs.
In view of all these developments, systematic training and skills
development to match contemporary requirements are identified as
priorities.
Recognizing this, the Government has embarked to changes in the
educational system, in harmony with the needs of the time. Access to
computer technology is now available not only in the towns but also in
the rural hinterland.
The Minister laid particular stress on the value of leadership,
motivation and discipline, and underlined the role of the school
prefects in achieving these objectives. Prof Peiris referred to the high
standards consistently maintained by Harishchandra Vidyalaya, Negombo,
not only in the academic sphere but also in sports and a wide range of
cultural activities. |