DP Education IT Campus imparts Rs. 3 b worth coding knowledge making 4,000 ready for IT jobs in Kurunegala

SLPP Parliamentarian and DP Education founder Dhammika Perera 

DP Education IT Campus yesterday reached a milestone of making 4,000 youth ready for IT jobs with the conclusion of coding courses worth Rs. 3 billion in the Kurunegala district.

The certification handover attended by business leader turned SLPP Parliamentarian and founder of DP Education Dhammika Perera was done ceremoniously involving parents numbering 10,000 of the students who underwent courses at 10 of the DP Education IT Campuses in the Kurunegala district. The 10 are part of 136 IT Campuses in the country with 126,000 students starting from Grade 6. These centres will accommodate between 750 and 2,100 students. 

DP Education IT Campus integrates six global platforms, including CODE.org, Thunkable, Pictoblox, Microbit, COSPACES and HTML. 

The curriculum available in Sinhala, Tamil and English language consists of 324 projects, each with 324 accompanying homework assignments.

Global price of this course excluding homework is $ 7,500 or Rs. 2.5 million. At yesterday’s ceremony, students who completed the courses ranged from those worth Rs. 2.5 million, 

Rs. 1 million and Rs. 640,000. 

The second stage includes Full Stack Developer and Cloud Computing courses from the University of Moratuwa. The third stage allows students to pursue free courses offered by DP Education IT Campus in collaboration with Universities of Moratuwa, Kelaniya, and Ruhuna.

The course content is developed jointly by DP Education, the universities and the Sri Lanka Association for Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM), the national chamber for the knowledge and innovation industry.

The curriculum’s first and second stages can be accessed through smartphones. The third and final stage requires a computer or laptop. The course targets completion within two years for a regular school student (two hours per week plus homework) and six months for those out of school and can dedicate 12 hours per week.

The broader goal of DP Education is to empower one million students free of charge with global IT knowledge and skills worth $ 7.5 billion in five years.

The estimated value of knowledge and skills transfer via the philanthropic gesture is on the basis of Rs. 2.5 million per student cost incurred by DP Education IT Campus or a total of Rs. 2,500 billion or $ 7.5 billion over the five-year period.

In his address at the ceremony Dhammika Perera recalled Singapore became a successful nation by giving priority to education and via his IT Campuses his policy was to promote IT education and skills thereby putting an end to poverty. “Today your children are skilled and educated with IT knowledge worth Rs. 2.5 million and are ready to seek jobs in the IT industry,” Perera told parents attending the ceremony.

Last year, DP was honoured with The Disruptor accolade at the Bett Asia Awards held in Bangkok, Thailand.

This prestigious award distinguishes trailblazers who employ innovative tech solutions to redefine education, making it more relevant for the modern age. The annual Bett Asia Awards celebrate and champion the EdTech trendsetters and innovators who are revolutionising education across the Asia-Pacific region.

The Disruptor Award reflects a pressing need for an evolution in educational methods, highlighting the integration of technology to foster future-ready students.

Amidst a strong line-up of contenders like EduSpark World and Noodle Factory, both from Singapore, Dolphin International School and Learning Links Foundation, both from India and other contenders from Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and China, DP Education shone brightest.