Over 60 aspiring educators were awarded certificates after completing a nine-day capacity building workshop — to equip students with future-ready skills — led by Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE), Sarvodaya Fusion, STEMUp Educational Foundation and Microsoft.
The ‘Future Ready Sri Lanka – Train the Trainer Workshop’ was held between at Microsoft’s corporate office in Union Place, Colombo to advance technology’s ability to empower inclusion and drive impact in the classroom. The participants included academic and support staff from SLIATE and Sarvodaya Fusion.
Microsoft Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Country Manager Hasitha Abeywardena said, “We must work towards ensuring that our children are future-ready. The teachers of today must constantly seek new and innovative ways to incorporate 21st century learning into their classrooms and help students build future-ready skills to help them succeed in life. According to a United States Department of Labour report, 65 percent of students today will eventually be employed in jobs that have yet to be created.” The certificate winners will seek to integrate their learnings into the SLIATE and Sarvodaya Fusion curricula. “At Microsoft, we are inspired every day by the impact dedicated educators and thoughtful leaders are making on innovative teaching, ultimately improving student outcomes,” said General Manager for the Southeast Asia New Markets within Microsoft Asia Pacific, Sook Hoon Cheah. Chief guest, Minister of City Planning, Water Supply and Higher Education, Rauff Hakeem urged the certificate winners to remain dynamic and continuously update their skills and enhance their knowledge of educational technology. He also said that technology had made itself part of every aspect of people’s lives today, and the students who understand it are the ones who succeed in the business world.