1. Name of country – Sri Lanka

2. Education System

The Sri Lankan education system is organized into three main stages. The earliest stage, catering to children aged 3-5 is that of Early Childhood Development. This stage is mainly outside the formal government education system, with virtually all pre-schools such as nurseries, kindergartens and Montessories being in the private sector.

The second stage is that of formal schooling with primary (Grades 1-5), junior secondary (Grades 6-9) and senior secondary (grades 10-13) education cycles. Compulsory basic education covers the primary and junior secondary education cycles, grades 1-9.

The third stage is that of vocational training and technical education. Entry is open to the vocational and technical levels of the training sector from two points in the formal school system, at grade 9 upon completing basic education and at grade 11 upon passing the GCE. O/L examinations. The forth stage is that of tertiary education and training, with entry open to students successfully completing the GCE A/L examinations, the highest level of senior secondary education, or graduating from a technical institution.

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Organizational Structure of the Sri Lankan Education and Training System

3. Contents of Industrial Technology Education

Primary Education

In primary education, play and activity are used significantly for learning by children. This can be considered as the basic foundation for future technology education.

The salient objectives of activity learning are:− enhancing the urge to make or do something− introduction to the use of materials for making useful things− developing the ability to work with living plants− developing the ability to work with tools and measuring devices− inculcating positive attitudes towards teamwork.

Secondary Education

Pre-vocational studies - 1972

Pre-vocational studies were introduced to the secondary education in order to develop hands on skills and competencies pertaining to various vocations. Some of the areas were agriculture, fisheries, batik printing, woodwork, vegetable cultivation, fruit cultivation, paddy cultivation, food preservation, animal husbandry, repairing of bicycles, Masonry etc.

Introduction of handicraft subjects – 1978

Nine handicraft subjects were introduced for grade 10-11 classes. These subjects were woodwork, metal work, motor mechanics, radio Mechanics, pottery, weaving, needle work, geometrical drawing and masonry

Life Skills Education under 1981 Education Reforms

Main objectives of the programme were generating positive attitudes towards world of work, gaining experience related to equipment and tools used in day to day life and developing simple skills pertaining to various vocations in year 7-8 students. This programme was implemented at the national level from 1988 to 2000

Junior Technical Certificate Courses for year 9 students – 1991

This programme was developed for the benefit of year 9 students, as a safety net even for those leaving school at year 9. There were 53 courses provided under four main technical subject areas such as agriculture, home economics, commerce and technical skills.

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Technical skills and Agriculture Subjects for Grade 10-11 in 1995

National Institute of Education (NIE) introduced ten technical subjects in the field of technical skills and agriculture subject areas. These subjects were prepared by combining early handicrafts subjects.

Mechanical Technology - Metal work , Motor Mechanism and Technical drawing

Construction Technology -Building construction, wood work and Technical drawing

Electrical & Electronics Technology - Radio electronics, Electrical and Technical drawing

Arts & Crafts – Pottery, Weaving and Technical Drawing

Introduction of Practical & Technical Skills Subjects for Grades 6-9 in 2000

Life skills subject was replaced by a new subject called Practical and technical skills based on the concept of activity Room for Grade 6-9. The subject included five main areas namely agriculture, food technology, basic technology, graphics, business affairs and ICT.

Advanced Level Technology curriculum – 2005

The National Institute of Education introduced a technology curriculum to the advanced level curriculum which was divided into two components, Hard Technology and Soft Technology.

Hard Technology – Mechanical Technology, Construction Technology, Electrical, Electronic & Information technology

Soft Technology - Food Technology, Bio- resource Technology. Agro-Technology

Competency based Curriculum in 2007

From 2007, all subjects in grade 6 -10 have been made competency based. Technical subjects for G.C.E. (O/L) were replaced as follows for grade 10-11.

• Design and Technology• Arts & Craft• Agriculture & Food Technology• Fisheries & Food Technology• Information & Communication Technology• Media Studies and Communication• Electronic Documentation and Shorthand• Home Economics

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Advanced Technology Education

National Vocational Qualification System of Sri Lanka (NVQSL)

The Sri Lankan National Vocational Framework has been established to support the efforts in enhancing the development of an internationally competitive workforce in Sri Lanka. The framework is one of the key elements in unifying Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). There are national competency standards set in consultation with the industry, national quality standards for teaching and assessment using a competency-based approach, and national certification of learners and workers. The entire system is internationally benchmarked.

The Asian Development Bank has supported the introduction of the National Vocational Qualifications Framework initially through the Skills Development Project (SDP) and then through the Technical Education Development Project (TEDP). The Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) is the authority for the implementation of NVQSL and the active participation of all the training agencies National Apprenticeship & Industrial Training Authority(N AITA), Department of Technical Education & Training (DTET), Vocational Training Authority (VTA), National Institute of Technical Education of Sri Lanka (NITESL) and other public, private and NGO training institutions are vital for the effective implementation of the National Vocational Qualifications of Sri Lanka.

The NVQSL awards qualifications at seven levels .as given below.

Level No. Qualification DescriptionLevel 1 National Certificate Recognizes the acquisition of a core of

entry level skills Level 2Level 3Level 4

National Certificate Recognizes increasing levels of competencies. Level 4 qualification provides for full national craftsmanship.

Level 5Level 6

National Diploma Recognizes increasing levels of competencies ranging from technician level to management level

Level 7 Bachelors Degree or equivalent

Includes planning, resourcing and management processes

The training for certificates levels 1-4 are conducted by the Vocational Training Authority (VTA), National Apprenticeship and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), Department of Technical Education & Training (DTET) and a number of public, private and NGO training institutions accredited by the TVEC.

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At present the training for Diploma levels 5-6 are conducted by 9 Colleges of Technology under the Department of Technical Education & Training established in the 9 provinces of the country.

In order to conduct NVQ level 7 Degree programmes, the first technological university of Sri Lanka was recently established by restructuring the National Institute of Technical Education of Sri Lanka (NITESL). The university comprises of 2 faculties. The Faculty of Training Technology offers the Bachelor of Education in Technology (B.Ed.Tech.) degree for technology trainers. The Faculty of Vocational & Industrial Technology offers the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.) degree to the industrial personnel, initially in three technology areas; Construction Technology, Manufacturing Technology and Information and Communication Technology.

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University of Vocational Technology (UNIVOTEC)

9 Colleges of Technology (COTs) one in each province

5 University Colleges

29 Technical Colleges(Each attached to a COT)

NAITA Centres & 235 VTA Centres(Craft levels, Apprenticeship,

Skills Development)

Degree (NVQ 7)

Diploma (NVQ 5-6)

Certificate (NVQ 1-4)

4. Technology Education Contests and Exhibitions

VO TEC Technical Education and Trade Exhibition

The VO TEC Technical Education and Trade Exhibition is organized by the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training and is held in various parts of the country to create awareness about the importance of Technical and Vocational Training among school children, teachers and parents as well as the craftsmen in the field. This exhibition is expected to provide information and guidance on vocational and technical education and training which is vital for those interested in it. This exhibition conveys the message of vocational and technical training to the youth effectively.

Inventors’ competitions

There are two major competitions for inventors in Sri Lanka, Presidential Inventors’ Awards and Junior Inventor of the Year. There are several forums open to inventors to showcase their work, such as Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair and ‘Techno’ exhibition organized by Institute of Engineers, Sri Lanka and annual exhibition organized by the Inventions Commission.

National Engineering and Technology Exhibition (TECHNO)

Techno Exhibition which is organized annually by the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka present a unique opportunity to local and foreign Industrialists , Manufactures and Suppliers to meet professionals and distributors to promote their products and services in the South and South Asian Markets. The exhibition,

provides a unique opportunity to show the very latest in engineering equipments, products and services.

is a cost effective promotional medium which has proven to be successful to many industrial organizations.

attracts a higher attendance in numbers, from every corner of the country, than any other technological event.

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5. Teacher Training Institution

The National Institute of Technical Education of Sri Lanka is the technical teacher training institute of the TVET sector. The Institute was established in 1983 as the National Technical Teacher Training College (NTTTC) of the Department of Technical Education and Training (DTET) under the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, in order to upgrade both quantitative and qualitative aspects

of the technical education in Sri Lanka. In 1994, The Institute was renamed as the National Institute of Technical Education (NITE).

The aim of this Institute had initially been the development of curricula and providing training for the trainers of the Technical Colleges. However, on the consideration of emerging global developments in the technical education and vocational training and the huge demand for competent work force to match the industrial requirements, the Institute was empowered for playing a more vital role in the TVET sector. Hence action was taken in 1998, to convert this Institute to an independent organization, separating it from the DTET.

The parliamentary Act. No. 59 of 1998 of the National Institute of Technical Education of Sri Lanka, which was passed in parliament on 04th November 1998 laid the foundation for this statutory body, which officially came into operation on 08th January 1999. The occurrence of this event brought about vital activities such as trainer training, curriculum development, instructional resources development and research under one umbrella.

In the implementation of the recently established National Vocational Qualification System of Sri Lanka (NVQSL), the Institute was identified as the lead organization for development of CBT curricular, staff development, development of learning resources, implementing Learning Resource Development Centre (LRDC) and coordinating Learning Resource Utilization Centres (LRUC’s).

With the establishment of the University of Vocational Technology (UNIVOTEC) in year 2009, the NITESL has become the Faculty of Training Technology of the university. It will continue its role as the provider of technical teacher training in the TVET sector with enhanced capacity in future especially providing the technical trainers the opportunity of graduate and post-graduate .level qualifications.

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6. Major problems in Technology Education in Sri Lanka

Imbalance of manpower in the industry sector

At present the industry demand for middle level Technologists is not fully satisfied by the supply.

What the Industry demands

What is supplied at present

There is an imbalance between Professional Engineers, middle level Technologists and the craftsmen as given above. It’s clear that the number of technologists produced is insufficient to cater to the industry requirements. Providing more educational and training opportunities at the middle level may answer the problem. With the introduction of the NVQ level 5-6 diploma level training programmes at the Colleges of Technology and NVQ level 7 degree programmes at the University of Vocational Technology, it is expected to produce a higher number of middle level technical personnel in future, thus reducing the gap in the present manpower supply.

Also, as the NVQSL provides a flexible training system with multiple entry and multiple exit, more people will be attracted to the vocational and technological education in future.

Social misconceptions about vocational and technology education

In Sri Lanka, from a long time, the vocational and technical training has been associated with low intelligence and manual labour. The social image of a person who has obtained a vocational or technical qualification has not been very high. The misconception that vocational and technical training is for those who were unable to enter the state universities and hence without any other choice of further education opportunities is still in the minds of people. Building the social image and changing the attitudes of people from negative to positive are essential for improving the acceptance of the vocational and technology education and training in the society. For this purpose, vigorous social marketing campaigns and career guidance have to be carried out.

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Crafts persons

Middle level Technologists

Professional Engineers

4

1

20

Crafts persons

<1

1

>20

Middle level Technologists

Professional Engineers

7. Organization Chart

Technical Education and Vocational Training system of Sri Lanka

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Ministry of Skills Development & Vocational

& Training

Tertiary & Vocational Education Commission

(TVEC)

Department of Technical Education & training

(DTET)

National Apprenticeship & Industrial Training Authority

(NAITA)

University of Vocational Technology

Vocational Training Authority (VTA)

National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) Human Resource

Development Council (HRDC)

Institute of Printing (INGRIN)

Other Vocational Training systems

Ministry of Youth Affairs Private sector/NGO

National Youth Services Council (NYSC)

Training Centres

Other Ministries engaged in TVET

Government departments & statutory bodies