The Korea International Cooperation Agency, (KOICA) upgraded the Korean Language Lab at the Technical college of Warakapola by providing IT equipment for a grant worth more than nine thousand USD to establish a high-tech online learning platform. The Memorandum of Agreement for the project was signed on 7th December 2021 in the Korea ODA center at Borella, Colombo.
The Country Director of the KOICA Sri Lanka Office, Ms. Kang Youn Hwa, The Principal of the Technical College Warakapola, Mr. A.M.R.R Abeykoon, and Ms. Kim Kyeungmin and Mr. Manoj Jayatunga in charge of this project and Ms. Nidushani Godamulla, the Korean Language instructor at Warakapola Technical College were in attendance at the Signing Ceremony.
The project’s objective is to improve the standard of the Korean Language Lab through a high-speed Fiber internet connection and IT peripherals such as Latest Smart Board, 3 Laptops, Desktop Computer, Screen projector, Sound system with microphone, Power supply Unit, Wireless router, colour printer, and other online required items, to enable Warakapola Technical college to provide a better education environment not only to the students of Korean Language but also to students from every subject classes to utilized this smart online learning facility as the main E-learning center at Technical college Warakapola.
Since the start of the KOICA volunteer program in 1991, KOICA dispatched more than 1000 Korean volunteer officers to Sri Lanka and most of them served in Technical colleges and College of Technologies in various technical fields until May 2019 and program was curtailed due to the Easter Sunday attack and it got delayed resuming due to COVID pandemic situation. With positive hope of resuming the program with online teaching, the KOICA Sri Lanka office has already done the preliminary survey and selected six (6) partner organizations including Technical College Warakapola to commence its E-volunteering program, other organizations selected to the initial stage are University of Kelaniya, Colombo Public Library, Open University of Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka and Mahinda Rajapakshe College Homagama to supported the e-learning infrastructure development of the organizations, in order to smoothen the online platform to conduct virtual classes by Korean volunteers.
At the small ceremony held at the Korea ODA center to sign the Memorandum of Agreement for the project, the Country Director KOICA states “KOICA has had a long-standing partnership with Sri Lankan Government, and KOICA Sri Lanka office making all the efforts to resume it’s volunteer program not only in Sri Lanka but also in the other partner countries around the world; without endangering the health and safety of volunteers as well as its partner organizations. We always looking forward to supporting our partner countries to make sustainable Development. Korea, having made giant steps in the Vocational Training sector over the years, we are always eager to share our expertise and knowledge through this volunteer program”.
The Principal of the Technical College Warakapola, Mr. Abeykoon, express his heartfelt gratitude to KOICA and In-charge of this project for selecting Technical College Warakapola on behalf of the Department of Technical Education and Training, Under the Ministry of Skills Development, Vocational Education, Research and Innovation and said that they will give their fullest support for the success of this project and this will surely help to enhanced the Korean Language ability of the students of the Warakapola area.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the grant Aid division of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea is the Korean government agency for grant aids under the mission of “Leave no one behind with People-centered Peace and Prosperity.” KOICA Sri Lanka Office has been implementing a variety of development projects and fellowship programs since 1991 and currently supporting various grant projects including COVID-19 response projects to fight against COVID-19 in Sri Lanka in conjunction with the Sri Lankan Government, Korean NGOs, and International Organizations. KOICA Sri Lanka Office is particularly keen to put more effort to support the most vulnerable in society to overcome the current crisis.
