DP Education has embarked on a monumental initiative of immense economic significance: to provide one million students with valuable global IT knowledge and skills, completely free of charge, an undertaking estimated to be worth a staggering US$7.5 billion over a span of five years.
This philanthropic endeavor’s evaluated value in terms of knowledge and skills transmission is based on an expenditure of Rs. 2.5 million per student, a sum covered by DP Education IT Campus, resulting in a total investment of Rs. 2,500 billion or US$7.5 billion within the designated timeframe.
The visionary open online platform, spearheaded by the Dhammika and Priscilla Perera Foundation, envisions the establishment of a DP Education IT Campus in each of the 331 Divisional Secretary (DS) Divisions across the nation. These campuses are designed to accommodate a range of 750 to 2,100 students each. Presently, 50 operational centers are actively educating over 40,000 students. Additionally, an online learning option is available for 120,000 students in the initial two stages. The expansion strategy entails launching an additional 50 centers by the close of 2023, with 30 of them presently under construction.
The inaugural phase of the DP Education Coding School integrates six renowned global platforms, which include CODE.org, Thunkable, Pictoblox, Microbit, COSPACES, and HTML. The curriculum is accessible in Sinhala, Tamil, and English languages, encompassing a comprehensive array of 324 projects, each accompanied by 324 related homework assignments.
This course, excluding homework assignments, holds a global price tag of US$7,500.
The second stage of the program introduces Full Stack Developer and Cloud Computing courses in collaboration with the University of Moratuwa. In the third stage, students gain the opportunity to pursue complimentary courses offered by DP Education IT Campus, in partnership with the Universities of Moratuwa, Kelaniya, and Ruhuna.
The course curriculum is a collaborative effort between DP Education, the universities, and the Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM), the country’s national chamber for the knowledge and innovation industry.
While the first and second stages of the curriculum are accessible via smartphones, the third and final stage necessitates the use of a computer or laptop. The course is designed to be completed within two years for students attending regular school (requiring two hours per week, plus homework), and within six months for those no longer in school, dedicating 12 hours per week.
DP Education Founder, Dhammika Perera, highlighted, “This comprehensive initiative will generate a pool of skilled ICT professionals armed with $7.5 billion or Rs. 2,500 billion worth of IT education over the next five years. This adept human resource reservoir can be harnessed by Sri Lanka to effectively harness the nation’s potential for growth in the knowledge economy and significantly bolster foreign exchange earnings.”
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