1.

Name of country Sri Lanka

2. Education System
The Sri Lankan education system is organized
earliest stage, catering to children aged 3-5
Development. This stage is mainly outside the
system, with virtually all pre-schools such as
Montessories being in the private sector.

into three main stages. The

is that of Early Childhood
formal government education
nurseries, kindergartens and

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

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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. AgroTechnology
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.
Level 1

Qualification
National Certificate

Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6

National Certificate

Level 7

Bachelors Degree or
equivalent

National Diploma

Description
Recognizes the acquisition of a core of
entry level skills
Recognizes increasing levels of
competencies. Level 4 qualification
provides for full national craftsmanship.
Recognizes increasing levels of
competencies ranging from technician
level to management level
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.

Degree (NVQ 7)

University of Vocational Technology

(UNIVOTEC)

Diploma (NVQ 5-6)

9 Colleges of Technology
(COTs) one in each province
5 University Colleges

29 Technical Colleges
(Each attached to a COT)
Certificate (NVQ 1-4)
NAITA Centres & 235 VTA Centres
(Craft levels, Apprenticeship,
Skills Development)

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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 04 th 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 (LRUCs).
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
Professional Engineers
Middle level Technologists
Crafts persons

1
4
20

What is supplied at present

Professional Engineers
Middle level Technologists
Crafts persons

1
<1
>20

There is an imbalance between Professional Engineers, middle level

Technologists and the craftsmen as given above. Its 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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7. Organization Chart
Technical Education and Vocational Training system of Sri Lanka

Tertiary & Vocational

Education Commission
(TVEC)

Department of Technical
Education & training
(DTET)

University of Vocational Technology

National Apprenticeship & Industrial

Training Authority
(NAITA)

Ministry of Skills
Development & Vocational
& Training

Vocational Training
Authority (VTA)

Institute of Printing (INGRIN)

National Institute of Business
Management (NIBM)

Human Resource
Development Council (HRDC)

Other Vocational
Training systems

Ministry of Youth Affairs

National Youth Services

Council (NYSC)

Other Ministries engaged in TVET

Private sector/NGO

Government departments &

statutory bodies

Training Centres

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