Sri Lanka on Wednesday (14) launched a China-funded programme to digitalize its education sector, pledging to reduce digital inequality among schools and safeguard child safety as nearly 900 AI-enabled smart classrooms are rolled out nationwide.
Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya said schools lacking proper digital facilities must be identified and upgraded to guarantee equal access for all students.
“When technology is added to education, those methods should be planned in a way that suits the child’s mind and protects child safety,” she told the launch ceremony at the Ministry of Education.
The initiative, supported by a grant from Beijing, will establish a national educational cloud data center, a distance-learning platform, and a central monitoring hub, alongside the smart classrooms.
Officials said the project aims to modernize teaching while safeguarding children in online environments.
The agreement was signed by the Education Ministry Secretary, Nalaka Kaluwewa, and the Chinese Ambassador, Qi Zhenhong.
