ICTA and EDEX join hands to empower Sri Lankan youth

Although the free education system was introduced in Sri Lanka over five decades ago, it could be concluded that even with billions of rupees of public funds being allocated annually, the youth particularly its rural counterparts are yet to show any remarkable improvement. It is no secret, how on a number of occasions these youth who continuously suffered from a protracted ‘opportunity divide’ reacted violently, whilst many passionately debated issues of the Digital Divide on a global front. With a vision ‘To empower the Sri Lankan youth to be globally competitive’, EDEX along with the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) is now concentrating on the rural youth of the country. This strategic partnership paves the way for a better focused strategy to enhance opportunities for the rural community. ICTA’s Nenasala programme is now gaining momentum with over 400 IT kiosks dotting even remote villages islandwide. This program is incrementally making inroads to enhancing IT literacy, which is increasingly becoming a key skill in demand. It is reported that over 10,000 mostly rural youth access Internet and other IT resources online everyday via the Nenasala network. Benefiting from the synergies the ‘Nenasala’ and ICTA offer, EDEX – National Higher Education and Careers EXPO has decided to offer the benefits of the recently re-launched EDEX web portal for the benefit of these rural youth. Synergies derived from this initiative are expected to be a real boon to the aspiring youth in the country specially those in rural areas. Bringing these rural youth a few steps closer to the opportunities that exist both within and outside the country, the EDEX web portal will offer them with invaluable online resources in higher education, skills development and employment in terms of guidance as well as placements. Such rare exposure and access to related information will enable the out-of school young men and women to make informed decisions on choices, options and opportunities available. EDEX is acclaimed to be the most comprehensive and the largest Education & Careers Fair in the country. It has managed to create new standards in the exhibitions arena with its novelty/ value addition programmes, greater coverage of relevant sectors representing both local and overseas participants and other special features, the pinnacle of which are the twin EDEX Exhibitions held in Colombo and Kandy in January each year. Source: ICTA

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