2021 – 2030 declared as the Decade of Skills Development

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared 2021-2030 as the Decade of Skills Development in Sri Lanka, according to the Presidential Secretariat.  The move is expected to herald a transformational phase of educational reform and skills development for the nation in line with the government’s national policy framework, ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’.

The Decade of Skills Development builds on the success of Sri Lanka spearheading the adoption of World Youth Skills Day which was established through a proposal presented to the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 by the Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during his tenure as the President.

The action plan for the Decade of Skills Development focuses on cultivating next generation skills in line with global trends and the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Decade of Skills Development is expected to transform the general, higher and professional education and vocational education sectors in Sri Lanka in order to reduce the population of unskilled labour to 10%, create global technocrats and position Sri Lanka as the epicenter for human resource development in Asia by creating a digital, future-fit citizenry who will drive the development agenda of the country.

Transforming the education sector is also expected to generate revenue for the country by attracting both foreign investments and international students, and increasing foreign remittances brought in by skilled migrant workers.

The national policy framework, ‘Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour’, places significant importance on citizens’ knowledge, skills and capabilities as key drivers to Sri Lanka’s progress.

The framework sets out the need to develop and execute an action plan on education that engineers the “creation of an environment that provides our youth and local entrepreneurs with new opportunities, gives everyone new hope and a sense of pride, where people can use their skills, talents and business acumen to be the world leaders in any field of their choice”.

President Rajapaksa previously established a Presidential Task Force on Sri Lanka’s Education Affairs in line with the national policy framework to review the current education system and develop an action plan for transformation.