6. Knowledge Nation
To improve this vital industry, the government needs to look at different types of tourism such as Nature, Sports, Recreation and Regular Tourism, etc.
It is worthwhile having a detailed study about the feasibility of setting up a large tourism and gaming complex with other entertainment facilities on land that is not irrigated and has easy access to South Asian tourists.
These should not be just tourism and gaming complexes but also entertainment centers with variety of activities for families.
Sri Lanka is central enough to develop the Colombo airport as one of the regional central airports similar to that of Singapore. If the gaming complex idea can be set in motion, there could be a domestic airport where the complex is located. If the complex can be developed with sea frontage, cruise ship facilities should also be built. This will increase the traffic flow to Colombo Airport.
Sufficient measures necessary including the security will be put in place to ensure the safety of tourists.
We are in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), where technology and industry undergo rapid change. Yet, our education and training systems are not geared to develop skill sets, particularly in information based and technological environments, that will satisfy the market demands that would be called for. To make a workforce Industry 4.0-ready they need strong Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills. Therefore, we need to develop STEM capabilities the future needs by aligning educational curricula with industry relevant skills.
We will establish a STEM Education Review Committee (STEMERC) to carry out a comprehensive review of STEM education which will make a set of recommendations that would address identifiable deficits in the primary, secondary and tertiary education, and lift the quality of the STEM education system to the highest standards. The STEMERC committee through public consultations will draw upon the expertise of specialists in their respective fields, including the broader community. From a forward-thinking perspective, it is important building awareness, both in industry and among training and education providers, of the potential for Industry 4.0 technologies and service-based approaches to transform the industrial base.
Fourth Industrial Revolution (also called Industry 4.0) is the current digital revolution happening all around the world. This is very different to Information Communication Technologies (ICT) of the Third Industrial Revolution (Industry 3.0), which has been happening from 1970s with the invention of Microchip, PLC, Personal Computer, Internet, Mobile phone and recently social media. We believe that Industry, 4.0 if managed effectively, has the potential for country like Sri Lanka to “leapfrog” development challenges without following the conventional development strategies. Industry 4.0 will bring the benefits of improved productivity, improved manufacturing capabilities, international competitiveness while being a small player, distributed local production, better working conditions and sustainability and many more. At the same time, Industry 4.0 may expose us to new challenges and risks such as need to change the current economic settings, increased data security challenges, possible loss of conventional jobs, skill gaps, lack of institutional set-ups and poor digital infrastructure facilities and potential “social backlash” etc.
We therefore believe that Sri Lanka should adopt Industry 4.0 in a proactive way. We will formulate a national strategy for adopting industry 4.0 in Sri Lanka by studying the best practices of pioneering countries such as the USA, the UK, Japan China, India, Korea and countries in the European Union etc. We will engage multi-stake holders including private sector, academia and research institutions, communities, civil society and other partners in the policy making in developing an eco-system for Industry 4.0. Along with our social market economic thinking, we will encourage Open Development Initiatives and innovate new social-business models while investing in skill development and change management. Innovative collaborative mechanisms among all parties and international partnership building will be key components of our Industry 4.0 national strategy. The findings of the study will be considered within our overarching framework of providing primacy to the shared values for the whole of society as against profit maximisation for the few.