DP Education envisions a prosperous Sri Lanka characterized by a highly skilled and high-income populace, charting a path towards economic development through education. Established prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, DP Education embarked on a transformative journey to uplift Sri Lanka’s economic status. With an unwavering commitment to delivering free quality education, DP Education’s initiatives, guided by its visionary Founder and Chairman, Dhammika Perera, are reshaping the educational landscape and propelling the nation towards achieving a GDP per capita income of $12,000. Perera envisions elevating Sri Lanka to the status of a developed nation by providing equal access to high-quality education, enabling every individual to actively contribute to the nation’s prosperity.

Here, Kawshi Amarasinghe, CEO of the Dhammika & Priscilla Perera Foundation, provides insights into DP Education’s remarkable journey, ambitious goals, and strategies to make this vision a reality.

ORIGINS OF DP EDUCATION AND ITS CORE MOTIVATION

Prior to the official launch of DP Education in October 2019, our team undertook an extensive three-year research expedition from 2016 to 2019. During this period, we conducted a comprehensive study of leading online education platforms worldwide to identify their best e-learning practices. Furthermore, we conducted an in-depth analysis of the economic development strategies employed by other nations. Our study encompassed 71 countries and focused on revealing the fundamental drivers behind GDP per capita growth.

The most significant revelation from our research was clear: countries that made substantial investments in education development witnessed corresponding increases in GDP per capita income. Conversely, Sri Lanka has been grappling with a persistent challenge since 2014, as we have been in a lower middle-income trap for the last 09 years. This is mainly because the unskilled labour percentage in Sri Lanka is over 59%. These findings underscored the urgent need to transform our workforce by prioritizing digital literacy and proficiency.

Our vision revolves around reducing the proportion of unskilled labour and nurturing a digitally proficient population capable of propelling Sri Lanka’s progress. DP Education emerged as a practical means to bring this vision to life, gaining momentum even before the advent of COVID-19, marking a significant shift towards a digital learning paradigm. Our transition to digital platforms, including YouTube broadcasts and an extensive array of learning materials, played a pivotal role in this transformation.

We firmly believe that our nation’s advancement is intricately tied to the development of a highly skilled workforce. While economic challenges are frequently discussed, we recognize that a significant part of the solution lies in an enhanced focus on education and reform, drawing inspiration from successful models such as those in Malaysia.

Examining Malaysia’s trajectory of GDP per capita income, it becomes evident that its path to economic success closely mirrored a comprehensive overhaul of its education system, as exemplified by its education development blueprint. Similarly, Singapore’s unwavering commitment to education paved the way for its evolution into a developed nation.

Today, DP Education embraces a dual mission: realizing our Chairman’s vision for the nation’s advancement through education and extending the benefits of quality education to all. We can confidently assert that globally, no entity provides access to more than 65 subjects of high-quality course content available online for free to the same standard as DP Education.

With education being connected to approximately 70% of a nation’s growth, how does DP Education plan to propel Sri Lanka forward, especially in fiercely competitive global industries like IT and technology?

In light of the numerous challenges we’ve encountered, Sri Lanka’s current GDP per capita income stands at less than $3,600, according to the latest reports. To transition into a developed nation, we aim to achieve a GDP per capita income of $12,000.

To realize this $12,000 target, one of our flagship projects involves the establishment of DP Education IT campuses across Sri Lanka. Over the past six months, we have successfully launched over 65 IT campuses, serving approximately 50,000 students.

Each IT campus offers 36 classes conducted throughout the week, totalling 252 classes in a single centre. The minimum capacity of each centre is set at 756 students, a figure we consistently meet. Remarkably, our network now supports 50,000 students actively participating in our campus programmes, with all expenses covered by the Foundation. For the learners, this means access to educational materials, online resources, computers, and internet connections—all provided at no cost.

The primary objective behind establishing IT campuses is to nurture a new generation of one million young Sri Lankan coders by 2028. The investment required per student is approximately Rs 2.5 million. Consequently, achieving our one million coder target creates a talent pool valued at $7.5 billion. Assuming each of these coders earns a monthly wage of $1,000, it translates to an annual injection of $12 billion into our economy. We firmly believe in the attainment of this ambitious goal.

In terms of ensuring our coders remain aligned with industry demands, we are currently working on a Tech Job Bank for Sri Lanka. With 50,000 students in our network, geo-tagging them is pivotal in addressing precision poverty alleviation. This approach involves creating detailed profiles for each learner, encompassing income levels, educational qualifications, skills, and family status. Through the Tech Job Bank, individuals can upload their certificates, enabling potential employers to identify available skilled resources and facilitate job placements.

How is DP Education ensuring that students gain technical skills while fostering their entrepreneurial spirit?

Regarding the promotion of entrepreneurship and startups among our students, this initiative is already taking shape within our IT campuses. Students are encouraged to explore independent learning, enhancing critical thinking skills.

We are piloting projects in selected campuses where students collaborate in groups of 4 to 5, each possessing diverse skill sets, such as tech proficiency, linguistic aptitude, creativity, and numerical competence. They work collectively on various projects.

In the long term, our vision involves adopting best practices from countries like Canada, India, Dubai, and Saudi Arabia, known for their successful implementation of startup and entrepreneurship cultures. We are crafting a comprehensive roadmap for nurturing entrepreneurs within our country, recognizing that the journey from theory to execution is challenging. The roadmap will incorporate the collective efforts of multiple bodies to cultivate a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.

DP Education has initiated collaborations with universities like Moratuwa, Kelaniya, and Ruhuna. Could you elaborate on the nature of these collaborations?

We are currently engaged in four significant partnerships focusing on technology and IT skills. A prominent collaboration is with the University of Moratuwa, where we have already launched a highly successful online programme titled “Trainee: Full Stack Development,” tailored for aspiring software developers. Importantly, upon programme completion, learners receive a digital certificate endorsed by the University of Moratuwa. Our partnership with the University of Kelaniya also centres around the Enterprise Resource Planning Programme (ERP), specializing in SAP. This programme aims to equip individuals with expertise in ERP, a skillset in high demand across various industries globally.

We are also actively collaborating with the University of Ruhuna to deliver online programmes centred around data science, AI, and machine learning. These initiatives are currently  in progress. Our collaboration with the University of Moratuwa extends to various other courses, including cybersecurity, cloud computing, UI/ UX design, app development, IoT, and several other IT-related tech programmes, all of which will be made accessible to anyone, anywhere, emphasizing our commitment to improving the quality and accessibility of education in Sri Lanka. The government could further enhance development by attracting  international universities to establish branches within Sri Lanka. This approach could bolster local educational opportunities and attract students from neighbouring nations. Special incentives for international students could be instrumental in establishing Sri Lanka as an attractive hub for education development. DP Education stands ready to offer our research and insights to facilitate these efforts.

You mentioned the goal of raising Sri Lanka’s GDP per capita income to $12,000. How does DP Education align with this broader economic objective?

DP Education is already an integral part of this vision, particularly through our IT campuses. It’s important to note that the tangible results of our efforts will become evident over five years, as this represents a journey.

We have meticulously designed a learning pathway for our students. It begins with enrollment in the DP Education coding school, followed by the completion of 324 coding and homework projects. Subsequently, learners progress to the University of Moratuwa for online courses. Depending on their industry interests, they can further tailor their education with offerings from the University of Kelaniya or the University of Ruhuna.

Another initiative currently in progress is a project aimed at developing one thousand villages in Sri Lanka. Our objective is to nurture IT job hubs within these villages, reducing the necessity for everyone to relocate to Colombo. Given the growing trend of remote work in the tech industry, creating IT job opportunities in these areas can significantly contribute to Sri Lanka’s economy.

Furthermore, we are actively formulating an action plan for the development of Sri Lanka’s digital economy. This plan encompasses multiple aspects of the digital economy and draws inspiration from successful models in countries like Dubai, New Zealand, the United States, and India—each known for their effective digital economy initiatives. We anticipate releasing the Digital Economy Action Plan for Sri Lanka in the coming months.

DP Education’s fourth anniversary will be celebrated on October 18. In these four years, we have achieved significant milestones, including an online student body exceeding 1.5 million learners, over 50,000 students actively participating in our physical campuses, and a comprehensive roadmap for expanding IT job opportunities across Sri Lanka, particularly through our “Thousand IT Job Hubs” project.

Additionally, we are preparing to introduce a youth development plan designed to equip our young population with the necessary skills to pursue global employment opportunities. These are some of the exciting initiatives we have in store.