President opens 28th e-Thilina computer lab at Royal College, Polonnaruwa

A state-of-the-art computer laboratory with 20 computers and internet facilities was donated to Royal College, Polonnaruwa, recently under the e-Thilina corporate social responsibility (CSR) collaboration between ESOFT and Sirasa TV. 

The ceremonial opening was held recently under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena who also declared open a new three-storied building for classrooms and an auditorium constructed under the ‘Rajarata Navodaya–Pibidemu Polonnaruwa’ District Development Program.

Other distinguished attendees included ESOFT Group of Companies Group Managing Director Dr. Dayan Rajapakse, ESOFT Metro Campus CEO Nishan Sembacuttiaratchy, ESOFT Metro Campus Colombo General Manager Upul Dassanayake, ESOFT Metro Campus Colombo Assistant Manager–Branch Operations Harsha Ravindra, ESOFT Polonnaruwa Business Partner Dr. D. S. A. Jayasinghe), ESOFT Polonnaruwa Branch Coordinator R. M. A. C. Rajakaruna, ESOFT Kurunegala Branch Manager Sachithra Wanninayake, MTV/MBC Sales Manager Daminda Nissanka, and  Royal College, Polonnaruwa, Principal K. K. Siripala.

Expressing his views on the initiative, ESOFT Group Managing Director Dr. Rajapakse said: “As the pioneering IT education provider in Sri Lanka, we remain committed to increasing national sustainability by boosting the uptake of technology skills across the country. I feel that this is the only way we will develop our people, businesses and services to meet the standards set by neighbours like India and Singapore. IT is making its presence felt in every aspect of our lives; so, in order for us to progress as a nation, each of our citizens needs to be given the opportunity to learn this important set of skills, especially those in rural and underprivileged areas so that they can create better futures for themselves and their families.”

Under the e-Thilina project, schools are invited to submit a request through Sirasa TV where they are first evaluated to ensure access to an IT teacher, strong student interest in IT and the availability of space to house a computer laboratory. Once a school is selected, all equipment and infrastructure are transported, setup and configured on the school premises by ESOFT, resulting in a fully equipped lab which students and teachers can start using and benefiting from immediately. The core purpose of this ongoing community service endeavor is to ensure that every child gets the opportunity to achieve basic IT literacy and therefore, a chance at a brighter future. The very first e-Thilina recipient school was the Kumbukwewa Maha Vidyalaya (Kurunegala) in October 2014. Last three year, e-Thilina gave 28 computer laboratories for government schools island-wide.  

As the largest private sector higher education network in Sri Lanka with an island-wide network of 40 branches, ESOFT creates opportunities for over 30,000 students every year. Founded in 2000, ESOFT today has a solid reputation for delivering high quality and affordable academic programs ranging from certificate to postgraduate level, across a variety of disciplines including Computing, Business, Hospitality, Engineering, Quantity Surveying and Languages. Visit www.esoft.lk