Kick off meeting
The inaugural meeting of the Europe Sri Lanka Capacity Building in Energy Circular Economy which was coordinated by The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) was launched recently. The aim of the project is to facilitate digital education, with the high-level input of these well renowned EU universities, to create a new Master’s program on Energy Technology that isprimarily focused on the energy-related challenges in Sri Lanka. The project is a partnership with five Universities from the European Union and four universities from Sri Lanka.
The event was presided by the Chief Guest, Senior Professor Sampath Amaratunge, Chairman, University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka, Professor S. A. Ariadurai, Vice Chancellor of TheOUSL/ the EUSL-Energy Project Coordinator, Professor K.K.C.K. Perera Vice Chancellor – University of Moratuwa and Tanja Gonggrijp, the Ambassador of Netherlands to Sri Lanka. Ruchira Abeyweera, EUSL-Energy Project Manager, faculty members of OUSL along with other faculty members from partnering universities, University of Peradeniya, University of Moratuwa , University of Ruhuna and the University of Twente – Netherland, University Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) – Sweden, University Centrale Supélec – France, University Learnify – Sweden and Futurelearn – UK participated in this inaugural meeting.
The project aims to create a new Master’s degree program on Energy Technology in an environmental and financially sustainable manner and offer skills and competencies on how to develop, and run, common online, digital degree programs between universities in developedand emerging economies. It also aims to develop perspectives in entrepreneurial education using technical curricula in creation of a new type of university-industry collaboration through “challenge-based real-life cases” using the implementation of student-centered education with the teachers becoming coaches and mentors, instead of sole providers of knowledge. Immediate beneficiaries of this program will be teachers who will further enhance their international profile and have access to shareware educational material. Students will get access to a much broader, varied and diversified view of the energy sector. University faculty, administrators, leadership and legislators in Sri Lanka will have an opportunity to identify possibilities for other joint programs.
Professionals in renewable energy sector, public utilities officials and politicians in Sri Lanka will have access to agreater knowledge in energy management. At policy level, it hopes to Improve Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Enhance Self Reliance and Care for the environment through dissemination of knowledge and awareness to the general public by trained personnel in this sector. Further,it willenhance the share of Renewable Energy by creating a concern among policy makers about the impact of non-renewable energy sources and strengthening the governance in the Energy Sector, thus providing opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship.