Project News

Mr. J .A. D. W. Perera (Director of Testing & Evaluation, DTET) Explaining The final Assessment to 1st Batch Students.
Photo: Hiroshi Saito-Acting Chief Advisor

After a lapse of about two years, the Sri Lanka College of Technology (SLCoT), the first College of Technology (CoT), created as a result of the 5-year capacity building grant project, the JICA-funded Japan Sri Lanka College of Technology Project (JSCoT), produced the first batch of NVQ Level 5 and Level 6 Diploma-holders in the fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Welding on Tuesday, 16 March 2010.

The process leading to the final assessment commenced in late last year, when the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC) trained a group instructors attached to the other CoTs in fields such as ICT, Mechatronics and Welding and Fabrication Technology. Around the same time, the Department (Department of Technical Education and Training DTET) conducted written (summative) examinations for the first batch of ICT and Welding students of the College who completed their 2-year diploma courses in 2008 so that they (the Department) could select those who obtain a minimum pass mark of 50 percent to sit for the final NVQ assessment conducted by assessors of TVEC.

As per the results of the summative examination released by the Department in February 2010, of the nineteen students from the ICT Section who were eligible to sit for the summative examination, thirteen students passed the exam and became eligible to face the final NVQ assessment, while of the seventeen students from the Welding Section who were eligible to sit for the summative examination, nine students passed the exam and became eligible to face the final NVQ assessment.

Student receiving The NVQ Certificate from Dr. T.A. Piyasiri (Director General of TVEC) in front of the Mr.Thilak Hapangama (Secretary of MVTT) and Mr.Goto (JSCoT Project Terminal Evaluation Team)
Photo: Hiroshi Saito-Acting Chief Advisor

Following ‘mock’ assessments held in February 2010 for students of ICT and March 2010 for students of Welding, the final assessments were completed on 13 and 14 of March 2010 for the students of both Sections and results released on 16 March 2010.

As per the results of the final assessments issued by TVEC on 16 March 2010, nine students from the ICT Section received the Diploma (out of thirteen students who were eligible to face the final assessment from the ICT Section) while eight students from the Welding Section received the Diploma (out of nine students who were eligible to face the final assessment from the Welding Section), thus becoming the first batch of NVQ Level 5 and Level 6 Diploma-holders in Sri Lanka. The seventeen students received their certificates at the 7th meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) of the Project on Thursday, 18 March 2010 in the presence of the Secretary of the Ministry (MVTT) and other Senior Officials from the Department and JICA Sri Lanka.

The first batch of students of Mechatronics, who completed their course in February 2010 are expected to sit for the summative examination in May 2010 and are scheduled to complete the final NVQ assessments in June 2010, when the Project ends.

Completing the final assessments for the first batch of students of the ICT and Welding Section is a significant milestone for the College (SLCoT) as well as for the JSCoT Project.

The Project wishes the successful Diploma-holders, a bright future. The Project also extends to its best wishes to the first batch of Mechatronics students and hopes that they would be given an opportunity to complete their final assessments as scheduled.

Text: Azad Ibrahim-JSCoT Consultant (Course Know How Dissemination)