Preliminary work has been initiated to establish an internationally recognized university in Sri Lanka through South Korea and Sri Lanka, which will provide space for local and foreign students to study fashion design, performing arts inclusive of dancing.
Based on the advice and guidance of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Tourism and Sports Minister Harin Fernando, the primary objective of the establishment of this university has been to extend the national plan to expand the tourism sector in Sri Lanka aiming to bring this new subject area easily to the children of Sri Lanka and foreign personnel.
For this, Labour and Foreign Employment Relations Minister Manusha Nanayakkara, Education and Higher Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, Rural Industries State Minister Prasanna Ranaweera and the officials of those ministries have been asked to implement the new programme quickly. Several private sector institutions such as Troja International Management consulting services Pvt., Ltd., Ceyko International Pvt., Ltd., and E9 Cargo Company are hand in hand in this move.
Representing those companies CEO of Troja International Ravindra Gayanath Silva CEO of Ceyko International Sampath Sandakelum are currently working with CEO Jintae Kim of Starwood Newspaper Company South Korea to implement the project.
Starwood Newspaper Overseas Cooperation Director Yoo Je-Gang had several rounds of successful discussions so far with the team in this regard. The mid-term objective of this programme is to turn the fields of fashion design, new fashion and dancing into high-paying and high-quality professions to earn more money for Sri Lankans and to earn more foreign exchange by bringing foreign tourists to the country to work in these fields, the team added.
This field is already being used for tourism promotion in major Asian countries including India, China, and South Korea. Those countries have acquired its gains, Silva said.
Sri Lanka can also improve its human resources and utilize the abundance of natural resources in the tourism industry, he added.
Fashion shows, new fashion designs and performing arts including dancing related international competitions are often seen as a big help to South Korea’s tourism industry. Silva said that his team, him included got an opportunity to represent Sri Lanka at such a programme.
Dharma Sri Abeyratne
