Dhammika Perera kicks off new era of Information Technology

 Dhammika Perera with 20 young men and women who have been successfully employed at DP Silicon Valley IT Office in Tissamaharama having completed the necessary qualifications through DP Education’s free coding course and the web developer/web designer program at the University of Moratuwa

• Via his charity arm DP Foundation unveils visionary IT Job Zones
• Opens “DP Silicon Valley IT Office” at Uddhakandara Rajamaha Vihara in Tissamaharama
• Says move will pave the way beyond J.R. Jayewardene’s FTZs and Premadasa’s garment factories

In a significant move aimed at addressing the longstanding employment challenges in Sri Lanka, the Dhammika and Priscilla Perera Foundation inaugurated the first “Information Technology (IT) Job Zone” on Wednesday in Tissamaharama.  

The inauguration ceremony took place at the Uddhakandara Rajamaha Vihara, marking the establishment of the “DP Silicon Valley IT Office.” 

Perera, the Founder and Co-Chairman of “DP Education”, officially opened the DP Silicon Valley IT Office and emphasised its role in providing global job opportunities in the IT sector to the youth of Sri Lanka.  

In his address, Perera who is the National List MP from SLPP and a Presidential aspirant in September polls, highlighted the absence of large-scale career-providing industries since President J.R. Jayewardene’s free trade zones and President R. Premadasa’s garment factories, spanning over 33 years. He attributed this gap to the current foreign exchange crisis faced by the country. 

Perera outlined his vision to create one million in the IT sector, aiming at the alleviation of the economic challenges. To achieve this goal, he plans to establish IT job zones in every divisional secretariat across the island. The DP Silicon Valley IT Office in Uddhakandara Rajamaha Vihara is the first step towards realising this ambitious plan.

These IT job zones represent the next significant leap in the Sri Lankan economy, following the free trade zones and garment factories established by the past leaders, Perera demonstrated.  

The DP Silicon Valley IT Office, functioning as the first employment centre under this initiative, has the capacity to employ 100 individuals. Currently, 20 young men and women have been successfully employed, having completed the necessary qualifications through DP Education’s free coding course and the web developer/web designer program at the University of Moratuwa.

 Remarkably, the qualification programs undertaken by these newly employed individuals had a maximum duration of six months, highlighting the effectiveness of the educational initiatives offered by DP Education.  

As the first IT job zone takes shape, it symbolises a groundbreaking development in Sri Lanka’s economic landscape, fostering hope for a brighter future for the country’s youth.

Perera further elaborated on the initiative, revealing that in alignment with the comprehensive plan to deliver computer language education to one million students in Sri Lanka by 2028, the establishment of 331 “DP Education IT Campus” centres is projected by 2025. Notably, 120 centres have already been inaugurated, achieving a significant milestone in the planned expansion, he added. 

Within these IT campus centres, 110,000 students are actively enrolled in the computer language course, while an additional 130,000 students are pursuing the course through online platforms. This brings the cumulative count of students engaged in the DP Education Computer Language course to an impressive 240,000, reflecting the widespread impact of the educational initiative. 

Furthermore, Perera highlighted the implementation of the IT Job Zone Creation Program through a pilot project, revealing that currently, six DP Education IT Campus centres are in the process of establishment within the Tissamaharama Divisional Secretariat Division, marking a strategic step in realising the broader vision of creating employment opportunities in the Information Technology sector.