Technology
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
1. Terminology
Sri Lanka's amended 2022 Constitution does not mention educational technology and information and communication technology (ICT), but in the 2017 Proposals for a New Education Act and 2022-32 Proposals for General Education Reforms, both terms are mentioned without definition.
The term ICT is used in many policy documents, plans and programmes, such as the 2016 Proposals for a National Policy on General Education in Sri Lanka, the 2017-18 Training and Development Plan, and the 2020-25 General Education Sector Development Program. However, no proper definition of the term is provided. The 2017-18 Training and Development Plan and the 2020-25 General Education Sector Development Program also mention distance learning and e-learning without any definition.
The 2016 Proposals for a National Policy on General Education in Sri Lanka do not mention distance education, but the document mentions the term non-formal education without any definition.
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
Constitution and laws: There is no reference to technology in education in Sri Lanka’s amended 2022 Constitution.
The 2003 Information and Communication Act aims to ensure the proper implementation of the information and communication technology policy in Sri Lanka; however, there is no reference to technology in education in the act.
The Ministry of Education issued circulars in 2005 and 2006 that aim to enhance information and technology education.
The 2017 Proposals for a New Education Act established by the National Committee for the Formulation of a New Education Act for General Education aims to introduce technology to schools while paying attention to equity, affordability and relevance. They also emphasise that technology should be humanised and used optimally in moving towards learner-centred and resource-based education.
Policies, plans and strategies: The 2021 Analysis of Education Reforms Proposals Submitted on the Digital Platform document emphasises the need to reform curricula to include information and communication technology subjects at all educational levels.
The 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation of Education includes several objectives for the digital transformation of the education system (which is recognized as an “implementation priority)”, including skills development, infrastructure support, and security.
The Government of Sri Lanka has adopted the 2022 National Digital Government/Governance Policy with three main pillars: Digital Government, Digital Economy, and Digital Services. In addition, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka has introduced the ‘Digital for Everyone (D4E)’ national initiative and launched the DIGIECON 2030 website to enable a technology-based society and enhance digital literacy among citizens.
Similarly, the 2022-32 Proposals for General Education Reforms aim to use ICT and digital technologies to support education.
The 2017-18 Training and Development Plan recognises effective curriculum and delivery in science, mathematics, English, technology and ICT as one of the critical education goals. Other goals include the reduction of disparities among schools, social equity, gearing reforms, and developing institutional capacity.
The 2020-25 General Education Sector Development Program focuses on four thrust areas including on quality of education improved, especially in science, technology, and mathematics.
Digital competency frameworks: In 2020, Sri Lanka developed its own National Learning Competency Framework. A set of competencies that teachers should have during different stages of their careers is very well defined in the School-Based Professional Teacher Development (SBPTD) project of the Ministry of Education (MoE). It is called the “Teacher Competency Framework.” The project was first implemented as a part of the World Bank-funded General Education Modernization (GEM) Project. Familiarisation with the use of ICT is recognised as one of the important teachers' skills.
Changes occurred as a result of COVID-19: The National Institute of Education has made a recovery plan for learning loss years. In cooperation with the Australian Government, Sri Lanka has developed the 2020-21 and 2021-22 COVID-19 Development Response Plan, but the Plan does not target technology in education.
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.2.1. Technology infrastructure and digital capacity of schools
Electricity: According to the 2021-24 Public Investment Programme, providing electricity facilities for schools is one of the ongoing programs of the State Ministry of Women and Child Development, Pre-schools and Primary Education, School Infrastructure and Education Services. The plan mentions that providing electricity to 35,000 low-income households is under the new Ministry of Power's initiative of achieving 100% electrification throughout the country.
Computers and devices: In 2009, the Ministry of Education (MoE), with funding from the World Bank, decided to pilot the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program by purchasing laptops from the OLPC Foundation and distributing them to 1,300 students in selected primary schools throughout the country. The XO laptops were unique in their inbuilt features, such as mesh networking to enable small groups to communicate with each other and solar-powered recharging capability permitting children with no access to grid power to use a computer for learning and development. The local version also came pre-loaded with Sinhala and Tamil content developed by the University of Colombo and the local Open-Source community. The OLPC program does not exist anymore.
According to the 2017 Proposals for a New Education Act, over 1500 schools have been equipped with Computer Learning Centres, Computer Resource Centres or Computer Laboratories with loan funds from multilateral agencies. In addition to ICT facilities at schools, a School Computer Network (School Net) is also set up to link the above-mentioned centres and laboratories and Provincial ICT Centres and the National Colleges of Education with the National Institute of Education (NIE) and the Ministry of Education.
To improve digital-based teaching and learning, the 2020-25 General Education Sector Development Program aims to provide 250,000 laptops for all secondary schools for the next three years (2023-2025). Establishing smart classrooms and computer laboratories were also established in 1AB (schools with GCE advanced level classes), 1C (schools with GCE advanced level Art and Commerce classes), Type 2 (schools with classes up to year 11) and Type 3 (primary schools with classes up to year 5) schools are also in the agenda of the programme. Furthermore, it aims to create a mechanism to provide pods (private cubicles) to educators to develop and upload online materials and interest-free loans to buy notebook computers for teachers.
According to the 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education, the Ministry of Education’s “One-Device for One-Student” objective aims to provide devices free of charge or at an affordable cost for students who cannot afford them; a suitable device for every teacher engaged in online teaching; devices for schools so that children share them; formulate, with local commercial banks, educational loan schemes for both parties (lecturers and students) to purchase devices”.
Furthermore, with the true spirit of 'free education', the 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education aims to provide the infrastructure facilities (devices, connections) as much as possible, enabling students to have continuous and regular education as close as possible to traditional classroom education.
According to the Core Group and Functional Committee of the President Task Force, it is necessary to modernise the higher education sector in Sri Lanka, introducing a loan scheme for students in need in all higher education institutions (HEIs) to purchase laptops/computers.
Internet connectivity: The 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education aims to address connectivity issues faced by schools and students (including home reach) by having a policy for every child to have access to low-cost, quality data at home and in school; develop or upgrade national ICT infrastructure for emerging online education requirements; develop a national policy for Internet access and data usage for educational purposes and provide connections and data island-wide at affordable costs from all the internet service providers (ISPs); encourage implementing common centres for each village equipped with latest technologies and offer the service based on requirement paid and free basis; arrange service providers to provide island-wide accessible or affordable internet packages for students and teachers.
The 2021-24 Public Investment Programme 2021-24 aims to enhance network infrastructure and broaden internet access. Examples include expanding mobile internet access coverage to rural areas and bringing high-speed terrestrial internet to schools and rural schools. The 2017 Proposals for a New Education Act Highlight the need to establish an education Virtual Private Network (VPN) to cover as many parts of the country as possible.
2.2.2. Technology and learning environments
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), the Ministry of Education (MOE), Sri Lanka commenced two education channels on Channel Eye and Nethra Television. The cabinet approved state-run television channels Channel Eye and Nethra Television to convert to educational TV channels for children. As per the timetable, students could utilize these two television channels, which telecast educational programmes in Sinhala and Tamil.
Other online learning platforms include e-thaksalawa. Launched in 2013, e-thaksalawa consists of resources aligned to grade 1 to 13 curriculums such as creative lessons, all learning resources including past papers, term papers, questions, syllabuses, textbooks, and teacher instruction manuals. To increase the usage of e-thaksalawa and ensure widespread access, the Government of Sri Lanka took steps to provide access to the website free of charge through any telephone network. Several internet service providers in the country, like SLT, Lanka Bell, Hutch and others, are providing special e-learning student data packages allowing children to study at home. E-thasalawa also serves as an open-source learning management system for general education.
A Uva radio channel and five newspapers were also made available to students in exam grades (5, 11, 12 and 13) by the Provincial Department of Education (PDE) in the province of Uva. The medium of language of the channel is Sinhala and Tamil. Other radio lessons in Sinhala and Tamil broadcasting channels include Ruhunu Radio Channel Southern Province, Rajarata Radio Channel North Central Province, and Kandurata Radio Channel Central Province.
Furthermore, the 2021 Guidelines on Distance Learning for School Education in Sri Lanka, Circular Number:15/2021, stress the need to adapt the above-mentioned distance learning approaches executed by school education stakeholders to a formal mechanism under the new normal situation.
To facilitate better e-learning, one of the strategies of the 2021-24 Public Investment Programme is to improve learning equipment and materials facilities while prioritising rural schools to eliminate regional disparities. To improve the status of non-formal education, one of the policy proposals is to provide community learning centres with modern ICT equipment and other facilities.
The 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education aims to enhance students' online learning experience irrespective of their geographical locations and the socio-economic conditions of their families, especially when students are prevented from learning activities. According to the 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education, a National-level e-learning resources development and management centre is established to resolve problems in online education (mainly because most vocational education areas are practical-oriented). Furthermore, the 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education aims to create an online platform (/forum) for all students to share knowledge and ask questions.
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
2.3.1. Learners
The Ministry of Education issued a circular in 2016 to introduce the advanced-level technology subject stream in schools where a technology laboratory has been approved.
Guided by the country’s determination for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, SDG4, the 2020 National Learning Competency Framework (NLCF) outlines the human development guidelines in four key areas: Knowledge, Competencies, Personality, and World View. The key area of Competencies involves acquiring sets of skills in subject domains and across disciplines to approach real-world problems and situations, including communication, teamwork and leadership, creativity and problem solving, managerial and entrepreneurial, ICT, and social skills. There is a special emphasis on providing STEM education to learners in the National Learning Competency Framework (NLCF).
The 2020-25 General Education Sector Development Program also highlights the continuous development of science, mathematics, technology and English education. Moreover, the 2020-25 General Education Sector Development Program emphasises the need to upgrade the primary and secondary curriculum to develop digital and e-learning-based and socio-emotional skills of the children.
According to the 2017 Proposals for a National Policy on General Education in Sri Lanka, ICT literacy should be incorporated into Practical and Technical Skills development. They also stress the need to include a new stream of technology in curricula in addition to Science, Arts and Commerce at Stage 2 of the Senior Secondary Level SSL. Furthermore, the Proposals mention that ICT should be integrated into the syllabus of each relevant subject area.
Finally, the 2021-24 Public Investment Programme highlights the need to include content, skills and competencies required for the digital world in primary education.
The 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education aims to enhance students’ skills in handling digital tools. The policy also aims to "address the digital skill gaps of the students by creating suitable training content in accessible formats and through practical evaluations".
2.3.2. Teachers
According to the 2017 Proposals for a National Policy on General Education in Sri Lanka, developing teachers' skills in communication and collaboration, ICT and information literacy is necessary to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. On the same note, the Proposals emphasise that teachers (and school heads and education administrators) should be trained in the use of computers and the application of computer skills for improving the quality of the teaching-learning process.
Several Institutions such as Faculties/Departments of Education in the Universities (Colombo, Peradeniya, Jaffna, Eastern and OUSL) and the National Institute of Education (NIE) offer Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes. The 2017 Proposals for a National Policy on General Education in Sri Lanka emphasise in this regard that all CPD programmes should have a supplementary component for enhancing participants' English and ICT skills.
The 2021-24 Public Investment Programme emphasises improving initial and continuing teacher training for the use of technology. Furthermore, one of its strategies is to upgrade existing Teacher Centres as Digital Resource Teacher Centres (DRTCs) to strengthen the professional capacities of teachers through upgrading knowledge and utilizing modern technologies enabling them to improve learning outcomes.
The 2017-18 Training and Development Plan defines teachers' training and recognises that it is different from teachers' development. It adopts a comprehensive approach that is entirely cognisance of the multiple factors governing teacher effectiveness in the classroom. Among these factors, the training and development-related factors such as effective training, evaluation of training impact, improvement of the environment for teaching quality enhancement, facilitation and rewarding training participation, and professional recognition of training competency and academic development, including continuing professional development (CPD), must be recognised and institutionalised. In the plan, a great emphasis is put on teaching Science, Mathematics, English and ICT well. Furthermore, the 2017-18 Training and Development Plan highlights that training and its transfer to the level of action would call for an integrative approach which recognises the roles of essential school facilities for teachers, school leaders dedicated to change, and program planning and implementation at the institutional level. In the plan, one of the proposed mechanisms of training teachers is distance learning/e-learning mode.
The 2020-25 General Education Sector Development Program aims to improve ICT and digital competencies among all teachers to build a competent workforce.
Equipping teachers/academic staff with skills to utilize available digital technologies in their respective work areas is one of the main objectives of the 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education. To achieve this objective, the policy aims to "conduct annual assessments focusing on the digital skills of principals, teachers and officers with an earning points mechanism to utilize digital technologies for their annual targets; attach critical digital skills assessing components to their work areas (for example, learning outcome); make it a strict condition that all teachers, principals and officers completing a set of modules prepared for each level to ensure digital literacy; identify the range of digital devices to use in the teaching-learning process".
2.4. Cybersecurity and safety
2.4.1. Data privacy
Sri Lanka's amended 2022 Constitution provides adequate guarantees for the fundamental rights of its citizens, but not specifically for the right to their privacy and data privacy.
The 2017 Computer Crime Act, No.24, the 2003 Consumers Affairs Authority Act No.09, and the 2006 Electronics Transactions Act, No.19 appear to have addressed the issue of data privacy to some extent by specifying penalty clauses for unlawful acquisition and illegal interception of data and unauthorised disclosure of information.
To remove any ambiguity about the constitutional data privacy right, the Ministry for Telecommunications introduced a Personal Data Protection Bill in Parliament in 2019. The Data Protection Drafting Committee of the Ministry of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology (MDIIT) and the Legal Draftsman Department drafted the bill. In March 2022, the Parliament of Sri Lanka officially endorsed the personal data protection draft bill. The bill has now been incorporated into the legal system as the 2022 Personal Data Protection Act No. 9, and Sri Lanka became the first South Asian country to pass comprehensive data privacy legislation. The legislation aims to regulate the processing of personal data, designate a data protection authority, and safeguard the rights of citizens. Pursuant to the Act, data could be processed for specified purposes only, with a provision that the data could be processed for purposes in the public interest, to respond to an emergency, and for scientific, historical, research, or statistical purposes.
The legislation mentioned above does not explicitly guarantee data privacy from using technology in education, but some of them explicitly refer to educational activities relating to data protection. For instance, according to Part V of the 2022 Personal Data Protection Act No. 9, the authority is responsible for "promoting studies and educational activities relating to data protection, including organising and conducting seminars, workshops and symposia relating to it, and supporting other organisations conducting such activities". The 2003 Consumers Affairs Authority Act, No.09 also mentions promoting consumer education regarding consumers' good health, safety and security.
The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) issued a handbook on information security that clearly outlines some data protection mechanisms for students who frequently use internet cafes and computer laboratories in schools/universities.
To expand information and data literacy knowledge in the country for the benefit and prosperity of children and the improvement in education, the 2017 Proposals for a New Education Act stress the need to develop appropriate guidelines for protecting the child from information and materials injurious to wellbeing. According to these Proposals, media personnel should raise awareness of such guidelines, respecting a child's identity, dignity and integrity while reporting and using the correct language.
The 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education aims to protect "every student, at all levels primary, secondary and tertiary, from cyber threats (or any inconveniences in the digital space) through the joint efforts by teachers, parents/guardians and school/university/higher education/vocational training institute administrators". Reporting incidents to authorities, such as Sri Lanka Police and the National Child Protection Authority, monitoring education systems against vulnerabilities to prevent abuses, taking measures to restrict students from accessing blocklisted sites, and introducing a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) for the education sector are some of the critical strategies the policy is aiming to implement.
2.4.2. Online abuse and cyberbullying
There is no uniform and specific legislation to deal with cyberbullying in Sri Lanka. The 2007 Computer Crime Act, No.24, is limited to addressing fraud, theft, and hacking using computers. However, some provisions of the 1885 Penal Code Act, for example, Section 345 and Section 483, can address cyberbullying, but they make no explicit reference to cyberbullying. The same is true for the 1927 Obscene Publication Ordinance No. 4. The only Act which makes a specific reference to educational institutions and can be used to address cyberbullying is the 1998 Prohibitions of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act (herein referred to as the Anti Ragging Act), but the Act only mentions higher educational institutions and do not make reference to cyberbullying. For example, Section 17 of this Act defines ragging as "any act which causes or is likely to cause physical or psychological injury or mental pain or: fear to a student or a member of the staff of an educational institution".
To raise awareness and empower citizens to defend themselves against cybercrimes, Sri Lanka has also developed its 2019-2023 National Information and Cyber Security Strategy, but there is no specific mention of cyberbullying and online abuse in the context of educational institutions.
Apart from legislation and strategies, Sri Lanka is taking various steps to combat the issues of cyberbullying. One important step is addressing cyberbullying of females aged between 15 to 45 years – from Advanced Level or university students to young unmarried and married women. In 2020, a Standard Operating Procedure was introduced by Women in Need (WIN) and other institutions that handle harassment of women, such as the Children and Women's Bureau, Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), and Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, among others for police handling sexual harassment of women on social media. The procedure came to a standstill due to the pandemic but was recommenced again in 2021.
An online course on cyberbullying has been added to the e-thaksalawa learning management system. The Government of Sri Lanka provides various hotlines and websites in case of an instance of unauthorised access or disturbance during an online learning session. For example, complaints on cyber security issues are addressed by the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team. The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), in line with the implementation of the 2019-2023 National Information and Cyber Security Strategy, also disseminate information on the safe use of the internet via the web portal www.onlinesafety.lk.
3. Governance
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
According to the 1991 National Education Commission Act, No. 19, the National Education Commission is responsible for recommending educational policy to the President of Sri Lanka in all its aspects to ensure continuity in educational policy and enable the education system to respond to changing societal needs.
According to the 2003 Information and Communication Technology Act, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka is the apex ICT institution of the Government and has been mandated to take all necessary measures to implement the Government’s Policy and Action Plan concerning ICT.
According to the 2011 Establishment of ICT Units Circular, the establishment of ICT Units in provincial education departments and zonal education offices is crucial, especially where the subject is ICT is being implemented.
According to the 2022 Policy for Digital Transformation for Education, “maintaining close links with the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and other relevant organizations, for instance, the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, for carrying out the implementation activities necessary for the digital transformation of the education field”, is critical.
The Information Technology and Digital Education branch of the Ministry of Education aims to establish a knowledge-based society through information and communication technology education, recommends policies on ICT, and develops school ICT centres. The branch is also responsible for maintaining computers and accessories in school ICT laboratories with the support of the hardware and network solution team.
The Ministry of Education (HR Division), National Institute of Education (NIE) and the South Asian Center for Teacher Development are responsible for teachers' training in core subjects: Science, Mathematics, English and ICT. The National Institute of Education (NIE) is also responsible for initiating and promoting innovative practices in the education system including the adaptation of technology for educational purposes.
Provincial Departments of Education, under the direction and supervision of the State Ministry of Education Reforms, Open Universities and Distance Learning Promotion, are responsible for educational programs broadcast through Sri Lanka Broadcasting Co-operation Services.
3.2. Roles of schools
In 2009, the Ministry of Education issued a circular prohibiting students of government and approved private schools from bringing mobile phones to schools and prohibiting teachers from using mobile phones in the classroom.
