You are most welcome to this weblog. By visiting this blog you would be able to get a fair idea of what I have been upto lately.
The Sri Lankan Students who went to Peoples Friendship University, Moscow to study in 1970 celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation (in 1975) at Association of Sri Lankan Graduates from Socialist Countries (ASLGSC) HQ, Mahagedara in Battaramulla.
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It was a great honor and privilege to be the Chief Guest at the Annual Prize Giving of my Alma Mater, Dharmapala Vidyalaya Pannipitiya held 29th August, 2025. Following are some photos and my speech at the event:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FGKWzDZzo/
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CQF8jCWhX/
Good afternoon, respected Principal, dear teachers, invited guests, parents, well-wishers, and my dear students.
It is both an honour and a great privilege for me to stand before you today, not only as your chief guest but also as a proud former student and Head Prefect of this great school. Coming back to the school atmosphere brings back a flood of memories, lessons, and life-long friendships.
It is a great honor and a moment of deep personal pride to stand before you today as the Chief Guest for this Prize-Giving Ceremony. I am especially delighted because this is not just any school — this is my alma mater. Many years ago, I stood here not at the podium, but among the students, like you — and It is a great privilege of serving as the Head Prefect during my time in the school.
To be back to a similar ceremony where I once received my own certificates and trophies, fills me with nostalgia and gratitude. It reminds me of the strong foundation this school provided — not just academically, but in shaping character, discipline, and leadership.
Today, I congratulate all the prize winners. Your hard work, focus, and determination have brought you well-deserved recognition. These achievements are stepping stones — may they inspire you to reach even greater heights.
To all the students here today: education is your greatest tool. But knowledge alone is not enough. Hard work, consistency, and discipline will take you further than talent alone ever will.
Prize-giving day is not only for those who receive awards — it is a celebration of everyone’s effort. Whether you won or not, remember: every step you take forward matters.
The world beyond school is exciting but challenging. You will face competition, doubt, and even failure. But never fear failure — embrace it as a teaching. Let every experience, good or bad, be a stepping stone to success.
Always remember your roots. This school is where you began your journey — come back, contribute, and carry its legacy forward.
The Dharmapala Vision and Mission calls for producing citizens cultured by the Anagarika Philosophy comprising of set of exclusive competencies essential for future world of work. It is intended to produce well rounded citizens who will have the vision, capabilities and leadership skills for taking the country to great levels in the global arena.
I would like to share with you a few topics which may serve as a help to organize your future within the school and beyond.
One important thing is to:
Embrace Technology:
It is very important to wisely embrace the technology that is fast developing around us.
As you all have already realized it is very important to be familiar with ever developing information technology for your advantage. ELearning or use of computers in learning is already an essential part which we cannot live without. ELearning provides you with opportunity to learn your subjects anywhere anytime at your own pace. Try to use the different methods for learning, that is, face-to-face learning in class rooms, learning using educational software, collaborating with teachers and students using computer networks, etc. Take the advantages that technology provides for better learning and sharing experience and knowledge. Use of multiple methods for learning this way is called Blended Learning. ELearning is not inferior to face-to-face learning provided proper instructional designs and teaching and learning settings are put in place.
Use of Artificial Intelligence is also recommended. Many argue that artificial intelligence provides opportunity for academic cheating. It is a big task for the academics today to scrutinize the student submissions to see whether the students have actually done the work themselves or they have tried to cheat the teachers by presenting the AI produced work as their own. There is a big debate to define AI as a cheater or teacher (tutor). Students should use the AI for gathering information in an expeditious manner, and final analysis and discussion should be done by the student using their own analytical skills, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, etc. Otherwise, the required cognitive development of the student will not happen. The students will be the looser at the end, especially when they go to the real world and try to tackle problems there.
Let me elaborate a little bit about what is expected from a student who graduate from high school. These are called Graduate Outcomes.
Graduate Outcomes for High School Students:
High school graduates are generally expected to have mastered core academic content, possess critical thinking and problem-solving skills, be able to collaborate effectively, communicate clearly, and demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt. Beyond academics, expectations include developing positive attitudes about learning, a sense of responsibility, and preparedness for future education or careers.
Following are some major expectations:
Academic Excellence:
Students should demonstrate a solid understanding of core subjects and be able to apply this knowledge to new situations.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving:
Graduates should be able to analyze information, identify problems, and develop solutions using various tools and techniques.
Collaboration:
Students should be able to work effectively with others to achieve common goals.
Communication:
Graduates should be able to express themselves clearly and effectively in both written and oral forms.
Learning to Learn:
Students should be able to monitor their own learning, identify areas for improvement, and adapt their learning strategies, especially on how to take notes, develop conceptual maps, sketches, etc.
Mindfulness: It is important to learn how to be in the present moment, without being distracted by other matters. This is a very important skill that both youngsters and others should develop. The students will be able to concentrate on their studies better and achieve more productive results of their efforts.
Academic Mindsets:
Students should have positive attitudes and beliefs about their ability to succeed academically, including a commitment to completing tasks and striving for quality.
College and Career Preparation:
High school should equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in post-secondary education or the workforce.
Financial and Digital Literacy:
Students should be prepared to manage their finances and navigate the digital world.
Civic Engagement:
Graduates should understand their responsibilities as citizens and be prepared to participate in their communities.
Personal Growth:
Senior year often brings unexpected emotional growth and maturity as students prepare for their next chapter of their lives.
Get ready for student-centered learning. Student-centered learning is an educational approach that prioritizes the needs, interests, and learning styles of individual students. It shifts the focus from the teacher as the primary source of knowledge to the student as an active participant in their own learning process. Students are
actively involved in the learning process, rather than passively receiving information. This can involve hands-on activities, group work, discussions, and projects.
What are the skills and qualities the students should develop to be successful in the life beyond the school? The skills developed in the school need to be further enhanced and new skills need to be acquired when you enter the world outside the school.
There are many skills and qualities that graduating high school students should develop while they are in the school. Use the time spent in the school wisely to develop yourself academically and personally. This is a great opportunity which you should not miss. The mistakes you do here are easily forgiven and opportunity to correct them is provided by the teachers. Once you are out in the society nobody would look at you with empathy and mistakes may have costly outcomes. Therefore, use the great opportunity given at school to prepare yourself adequately for the greater and competitive world.
There are different types of skills that are in demand outside the school; Hard Skills, Soft Skills and Transferrable Skills are some main categories.
When I am requested to provide mentorship to I usually talk about the importance of different skills the students should have. I would like to spend some time elaborating this.
Required Skills
It is recognized that for a graduate to secure a job and keep it, certain skills need to be acquired and maintained. These skills are known as Hard Skills and Soft Skills. It is also established that a good balance of the two types of skills is a prerequisite for a successful career. The actual balance between the two types of skills necessary to be successful could depend on the type of business or situation you are in. What are the hard skills and soft skills?
Hard Skills
These are the core skills that graduates primarily gain through their education and training at their academic institutions. These skills would vary from profession to profession or business to business. They can include skills such as engineering design, accounting strategies, computer programming, clinical diagnosis, criminal investigation, legal analysis, etc. These are the skills required to carry out the core business of an organization and to get the job done. Hard skills are teachable and measurable.
In practice however, it is proven that the hard skills alone are not sufficient to run a business successfully or a graduate to be professionally successful. A set of soft skills is also needed.
Soft Skills
Soft Skills are also known as People Skills or Interpersonal Skills. They are not easily teachable as compared to hard skills. Soft skills are similar to emotions or insights that allow people to ‘read’ others.
Most of the soft skills are learned through practice and experience. They are much harder to be measured and evaluated. What are the types of soft skills that graduates need to acquire and maintain?
Following is a list of some common soft skills that most of the young graduates need to acquire and practice:
Communication Skills
Flexibility
Dependability
Teamwork
Work Ethics
Positivity
Time Management
Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Conflict Resolution
Project Planning
There are many more soft skills. The above is a representative list of soft skills that are more relevant to day-to-day work. It is important for the high school graduates to be aware of the importance of these skills and learn them and practise. The graduates will start realizing that their services are better valued by peers and seniors as they begin to complement their hard skills with more and more soft skills. The important point is that most of these skills which one learns and sharpens during their employment can be transferred to any future jobs.
The recruiters usually look for and value the transferable skills that a prospective employee could bring into a new job, from their prior experience.
Transferrable Skills
Transferable skills can be from both hard skills and soft skills. For example, a transferable hard skill could be a mastery of a particular software or a coding language that can be used in other business settings. However, soft skills are more easily transferable due to their generic nature and universal applicability. Some of the most common soft skills that are transferable, include: Leadership, Communication Skills, Teamwork, Time Management, Problem Solving, etc.
Balancing of Hard Skills and Soft Skills
While appreciating the importance of both hard skills and soft skills, graduates need to strike a balance between the two types. Further, they need to be aware that what weightage the recruiters or managers assign to these two types of skills.
The preference may be skewed towards hard skills at the beginning of one’s career and may gradually shift to soft skills as one moves higher in the corporate ladder. Various surveys conducted in the USA and elsewhere indicate that recruiters tend to give equal or more weightage to soft skills than to hard skills. Graduates need to be aware of this and give necessary priority to acquiring and maintaining soft skills in addition to the hard skills they learned during their higher studies. It is generally believed that hard skills help you get a job and soft skills help you to keep it.
Advice to graduating students
Graduating students need to be aware of the importance of hard skills and soft skills needed to be successful in getting a job and maintaining it. Both hard skills and soft skills need to be developed, kept up-to-date and sharpened all the time. The balance between the two types needs to be maintained depending on the job environment.
There’s not one specific thing or skill people have to have to work for us. But I can tell you why we fire people: soft skills. We hire for hard skills. We fire for soft skills. …”
A few words about the teachers:
We would like to thank the teachers who are constantly supporting the students to develop and prosper. The leadership provided by the Principal and her deputies are commendable. The great achievements that the school have achieved during the tenure of the current principal are highly commendable. We thank you, Madam and the whole academic staff for their dedicated and tireless efforts in bringing up the standards of student performances both in academic, sports and other extracurricular activities.
Following a few quotes which exemplify the noble jobs carried out by the teachers. Being a teacher in the modern educational world is an exceptionally challenging task. Beyond the daily teaching and grading routine, educators also work to manage student behaviors, family issues, teaching pressure, and many other difficult issues.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ― Plutarch
Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” – Japanese proverb
“Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.” – Josef Albers.
Your classroom may have four walls, but your influence has no boundaries.”
“Teaching isn’t just a profession—it’s the art of lighting a path where others can learn to walk on their own.”
To parents:
Tonight, we celebrate the achievements of our students, and we recognize that their success is not solely their own. It is a direct result of your consistent encouragement, unwavering support, and the sacrifices you make to ensure your children have the best possible opportunities.
We understand the countless hours you spend assisting with homework, attending school events, and providing a nurturing home environment that fosters learning. Your involvement is invaluable, and we commend you for your dedication to your children's education.
To Prize Winners:
To the prize winners, congratulations! Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence have truly paid off. We are incredibly proud of your accomplishments and the positive impact you have on our school community.
To all the students who participated in this year's activities, we commend your efforts. Your participation, regardless of whether you received an award, is a testament to your engagement and willingness to learn and grow.
In closing, let us all celebrate the success of our students and the dedication of our parents and teachers!
Thank you for listening.
Theruvan Saranai!
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posted by Blogmaster at 3:33 PM
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AI in Education: Cheater or Tutor
By
Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma
Introduction
In my previous article published in Sunday Observer entitled “Digital Transformation: Avoid paving the
cow path”, we discussed about the
general benefits of the Digital Transformation to the economy as a whole. One
of the very important sectors of this overall digital transformation effort is
the Digital Transformation in Education. Digital transformation in education
uses the technology to improve teaching and learning. Artificial Intelligence
(AI) is a key part of this transformation. This article attempts to discuss the
benefits, challenges and the way forward on the use of Artificial Intelligence
(AI) in the digital transformation in education. While AI can
revolutionize learning by making it more accessible and tailored, concerns
about misuse and ethical implications do remain. The question remains: Is AI a
cheater that undermines learning or a tutor that enhances it? Let us examine the circumstances that the use
of AI in education exemplifies the role of cheater and tutor and how best we
could balance these two roles for the best advantage of the society.
AI as a Tutor: Transforming
Education Positively
AI’s role as a tutor is demonstrated through its ability to
provide personalize education with more efficient and student-centered manner.
The AI-based tools can monitor the student’s rate of progress and tailor the
learning experience to best suit the student’s ability through Intelligent
Tutoring Systems, etc. Such learning systems are highly adaptive and can adjust
content delivered in real-time to suit the individual student’s ability and to
keep the students engaged and motivated.
Further, AI can bridge the student’s knowledge gaps by offering
scalable learning opportunities. Students who do not have access to quality
teachers or appropriate resources can make use of the AI tools to avail 24/7 learning
assistance from anywhere. AI chatbots can serve as virtual tutors which on
demand will answer questions and provide explanations. This democratization of
education allows students from underserved areas to benefit from personalized
support which otherwise is impossible to receive.
AI can also alleviate teachers’ administrative burdens. AI-powered
grading systems streamline evaluation processes, lesson planning, etc.,
enabling educators to focus on teaching rather than spending time on routine
tasks. Further, the analytics from the AI tools can help teachers identify
trends in student performance. This makes it easier for teachers to address
learning gaps proactively.
AI as a Cheater: Ethical Concerns
and Academic Dishonesty
While AI holds immense potential, its misuse raises serious
concerns. The rise of AI-powered tools with the capability of generating essays
and predicting answers, has made it easier for students to plagiarize and
submit work they did not create. Platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, etc. can
generate essays and assignments with simple prompts by the user, and even provide
answers to exam questions, allowing students to bypass the real learning
process altogether.
The consequences of the above misuses are very serious. The
learning outcomes such as ability to apply gained knowledge, ability to
analyze, ability to summarize, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and
ability to synthesize acquired knowledge and create new work – core competencies
that education seeks to develop among learners - are undermined by the
overreliance on AI. When students use AI to complete their assignments without
having to go through the cognitive processes needed to complete them as
learners, it disrupts the long-term learning outcomes that learners need to
achieve in the progression of their studies and devalues the integrity of
education.
Moreover, distinguishing between genuine student work and
AI-generated content is challenging. Even with plagiarism detection tools, AI
outputs can often pass as original work, creating a dilemma for educators. This
increases the need for stricter academic integrity policies and a re-evaluation
of traditional assessment methods.
Striking a Balance in AI's Role in
Education
Considering the benefits and risks in using AI in education, it is
not possible to label the use of AI, one-sidedly, as a Cheater or Tutor. To
determine whether AI is a cheater or tutor, it is essential to strike a balance
between harnessing its benefits and addressing its risks.
Educational institutions must focus on fostering a culture of
ethical AI use by setting clear guidelines and expectations. Students should be
taught how to use AI tools as supplements to learning rather than shortcuts.
Educators can use the AI’s capabilities to develop students as
ones who can think critically rather than being rote learners, who are taught
to learn by memorizing the information by mere repetition. The use of AI as a
tutor needs a great deal of effort and dedication by the educators. Educators
can leverage AI's capabilities to create assessments that prioritize
understanding and critical thinking over rote memorization. For instance, oral
presentations, project-based learning, and open-ended assignments are less
susceptible to AI misuse and encourage genuine student engagement.
Furthermore, AI literacy should become part of the curriculum.
Teaching students about AI's capabilities, limitations, and ethical
considerations can empower them to use these tools responsibly. When used
effectively, AI can complement human instruction, fostering a collaborative and
innovative learning environment. AI’s ability to serve as a tutor anytime,
anywhere solves the problem of one to one tutor support for those who are in
need but cannot afford. This could be used to alleviate the issues that comes
from the understaffing of schools in certain geographical locations.
Way Forward
AI in education is neither inherently a cheater nor a tutor; it is
a tool whose impact depends on how it is used. While it holds the potential to
revolutionize learning by making education more personalized and accessible,
its misuse poses ethical and academic challenges. Striking a balance requires
educators, policymakers, and students to collaborate in developing guidelines
that promote ethical and responsible AI use. If harnessed correctly, AI can
serve as a powerful tutor, enhancing education and preparing students for a
technologically advanced future.
(Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma is a Chartered Professional Engineer, Honorary Fellow Member of the IESL, former Director, Academic Affairs at Saegis Campus and Senior Lecturer at OUSL. He holds a PhD in Instructional Design for Computer-Based Learning from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and can be contacted at gamini_pad@hotmail.com)
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Government Digital Transformation: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies
Initiatives on Digital Transformation are given very high priority by the new government. While the opportunities and benefits that are associated with Digital Transformation are widely highlighted, the challenges that face such major initiative are not so well identified. The purpose of this article is to highlight Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies relating to the Digital Transformation with a view to providing a holistic view of the subject.
The benefits of the Digital Transformation are widely published in the literature. These publications relate to case studies and other experiences worldwide relating to digitalization in both private and public sector. The experiences in digitalization initiatives in private and public sector have many similarities while they also do differ in some major aspects. In this article, the author will try to focus on the general issues as well as the specific issues which directly relate to the digitalization in governments.
Please use the link below to read the rest of the article:
https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2024/11/22/government-digital-transformation-opportunities-challenges-and-strategies/
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Digital
Transformation: Avoid Paving the Cow Path!
By
Dr. Gamini
Padmaperuma
The importance of digitalization of
the economy and particularly the government services is a subject that has been
under discussion for a few years now. The National Peoples Power(NPP) too has
emphasized the vital importance of the same before and after the election, and
actions are currently being undertaken for establishment of a Ministry and
other relevant government institutions, and appointment of suitable
professionals to lead them.
In the NPP’s Digital Policy Document published
in August 2024, “Implementing rapid digitization programs for all government
institutions to increase their efficiency, transparency, and make them
paperless” is stated as a major goal under the Transparent and Efficient Governance section. This is one of the significant
goals among the eleven or so other goals mentioned there under different
subheadings. However, the author feels that the word ‘digitalization’ is more
appropriate than the ‘digitization’ for the context stated in the document.
While Digitization
refers to the process of converting analog data into a digital format, digitalization involves the integration
of digital technologies into business operations to optimize processes, enhance
customer experiences, and drive innovation. Digitization
serves as a prerequisite to the Digitalization which incorporates the
infusion of digital product or service in to the organization’s processes, resulting
in Digital Transformation. Digital
Transformation represents the innovative restructuring of organizations,
greater customer satisfaction and greater value addition to the business,
originated from digital diffusion. This overall process is known as the Pyramid
of Digital Transformation.
While there are many policy,
procedural and institutional matters that need to be discussed, formulated, established
and implemented to ensure a successful and sustainable journey of digital
transformation at the national level, this article attempts to emphasize some
critically important prerequisites that are necessary for successful
implementation of digitalization of any government processes or services.
It is essential to conduct Business
Process Reengineering (BPR) for any process or service that is to be
digitalized. This has to be done prior to applying the digital transformation
tools. We have seen many failures in the past in relation to automation of
processes and services, which were attempted without proper business process
analysis. It is typical that many organizations place undue emphasis on
adopting new technologies to “go digital” rather than focusing on the actual
transformation through a proper analysis of the subject processes that need to be
improved and documented, prior to applying the digital tools on them.
Obviously, the improvements to the processes also need to consider the capacity
and benefits that the digital tools can provide in improving the reliability
and the user-friendliness of the process that can be shared with the customer.
Business processes, and the documents, people, and systems
linked to them, are at the heart of how every organization operates. But the
fact is, most businesses are wildly inefficient. Paperwork and manual tasks tie
up employee’s time, poorly managed information kills productivity, every
department has their own system for storing data, and the list goes on. This
often leads to delays, inaccuracies, and widespread deviations where work
happens differently every time. As a result, the citizens are dissatisfied and start
to complain about the inefficiency and delays in availing the required services
from the organizations or businesses.
The title of this article, Digital
Transformation: Avoid Paving the Cow Path! was coined intentionally to
emphasize the importance of the Business Process Reengineering that need to be
carried out prior to any digitalization as its relevance has been largely
ignored. Most of the processes we use in our government offices are ancient and
some of them still have the resemblance of colonial era practices. These
processes need to be revamped or reengineered to incorporate today’s technology
and customer expectations, productivity and reliability expected, reduce
employee discontent, provide a respectful image about the organization, etc.
For those who are not yet familiar with the above phrase
involving the Cow Path, let me shed some light on it. This phrase refers to the common practice of
using new software, etc. to automate old and inefficient business processes. The
emphasis is to avoid recurrence of such practices and to take time to analyze
the current business processes critically to suggest improvements to be more
productive, customer-friendly which also add more value to the business, etc.
The improvements to the process need to be discussed and agreed upon by all the
stakeholders of the process. These discussions are usually held by the process
owners (who are responsible for implementing the process) with the participation
of the recipients of their service (customers), other relevant stakeholders,
and experts from the organization’s digitalization initiatives from both IT and
BPE backgrounds, etc. Business Process Reengineering
thus carried out provides recommendations for restructuring the processes and
any new technologies with everything properly scoped out and prioritized. These
discussions between the process owners, subject matter experts, digitalization
experts, customers and other stakeholders need to be conducted in a
professional and structured manner. These discussions need to be supported by the
top management and also necessary training for the personnel should be
provided. There are many useful management techniques involved in Business
Process Engineering such as data analysis techniques, customer survey, benchmarking,
flowcharting, process mapping, SWOT analysis, cost-benefit analysis, etc.
It is essential to provide the necessary resources and training
to the concerned employees to be able to actively participate in the digital
transformation initiative. The all government sector employees should have adequate
awareness of the government’s digital transformation initiative and should be
motivated to provide their support to the same. The change should be properly
managed by assigned change managers or change champions at the operational and
executive level. The higher management should always support the initiative,
monitor the progress and provide necessary support to sustain the momentum. The
fear of using new technology should be tackled appropriately. As the
transformation effort will take place, there should be continuous and cordial dialogue
between the employees, citizens and the organization. The feedback from the
employees about the transformation should be regularly solicited, duly analyzed
and action taken.
The
primary benefits of digitalization range from increased operational efficiency
and improved employee productivity. Digitalization also reduces costs
associated with physical document management, manual processes and travel. In
terms of intangible benefits, the digitalization of business processes
optimizes customer satisfaction and information management. Organizations
equipped with an agile digital infrastructure can swiftly adapt to changes in
the environment, leading to improved performance and customer satisfaction.
Like any other management initiatives involving major structural changes on how
the business is carried out, the digital transformation should also be subject to
continuous improvement through use of customer feedback, incorporation of
changes in technology, etc. Further, Digital infrastructure is the foundation of any connected
business. It enables success,
powers transformation and connects people around the world. It is therefore, mandatory for
the government and private sector to provide such infrastructure facilities to
its citizens with appropriate bandwidth, reliability and at a reasonable cost
for the Digital Transformation to succeed.
(Dr. Gamini Padmaperuma is a
Chartered Professional Engineer, Honorary Fellow Member of IESL, former
Director, Academic Affairs at Saegis Campus and Senior Lecturer at OUSL , and
holds a PhD from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
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posted by Blogmaster at 8:08 AM
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