ECONOMYNEXT — Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers has approved a proposal to train 7,500 school teachers from around the island in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) with a STEAM education approach incorporating information technology, biotechnology, engineering and mathematics.
A statement from the government information department said the government has identified digital transformation has a “vitally important component in the national education policy framework” and education authorities have been encouraged to “obtain the support of the public and private sectors to utilise artificial intelligence and new technologies”.
According to a project proposal presented by Skills College of Technology (SCOT CAMPUS), an institution experienced in conducting practical courses on information technology, mechatronics, and robotics, a pilot project has been carried out successfully, the statement said.
“Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the joint proposal presented by the President in his capacity as a Minister of Technology and Minister of Education to train 7,500 teachers selected from the schools covering all the provinces in relevant to the STEAM concept, including information technology, biotechnology, engineering technology, and mathematics, under three stages by the Skills College of Technology (SCOT CAMPUS).”
In May 2023, Sri Lanka’s education ministry had plans to introduce AI to the school curriculum in 2024 with an emphasis on robotics, machine learning, data mining, computer vision and related technologies.
The ministry of education also plans to introduce STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) in a bid to revamp the island nation’s outdated education system.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said in late 2022 that Sri Lanka may be looking at automation and robotics as potential solutions to labour shortages brought on by the country’s aging population amid a sharp rise in migration of skilled and unskilled labour.
“Our population profile suggests there will be more older people and fewer young people. Why don’t we start now with being semi-automated and then go on to automation, to robotics?” Wickremesinghe said at an event in Colombo in November 2022. (Colombo/Sep03/2024)