Inaugural Session
Plenary Session 1
Plenary Session 2
Plenary Session 3
INAUGURAL SESSION
Inaugural Session commenced with the lighting of the innovative lamp . The objective of the inaugural session was to set the stage for the conference and NEW 08 by endorsing the importance of Graduate Entrepreneurship especially from the Sri Lankan Government’s point of view. All speakers clearly endorsed the importance of Entrepreneurship Education and extended their support in the future as Government representatives.
Gill Westaway Country, Director, British Council Sri Lanka
Welcome Address and Introduction to the National Entrepreneurship Week Sri Lanka 2008
Welcome address
Hon Dayasritha Tissera, Minister of Skills Development Sri Lanka
Entrepreneurship – An Essential Skill for the Sri Lankan Youth
Background Paper
Hon Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Education Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Education – An Overview
Mahinda Bandusena, Secretary to the Prime Minister Sri Lanka
Entrepreneurial Graduate – the Future of Sri Lanka
- There needs to be a mindset change in the staff and students towards entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurial culture needs to be introduced and inculcated from early stages of education
- Graduates of Sri Lanka believe that it is the responsibility of the Government to provide them with jobs and this misconception needs to be rectified
- Graduate un-employability is a result of the shortcomings of the ‘system’, not the graduate alone
- Some universities have already been successful in implementing an entrepreneurial culture
- Graduates should become responsible entrepreneurs in the future
- The business community has a responsibility to engage and support in the development of entrepreneurship education in universities
- Entrepreneurship education needs to be introduced in a practical manner rather than as study courses
- Although the TVET sector has entrepreneurship training programmes already they have not been sufficiently developed or equipped and need upgrading
- There needs to be policy level changes in order to effectively implement entrepreneurship education
- British Council’s initiative is timely and commendable
- Organise programmes to change the mindset of the staff and students
- Introduce entrepreneurship education at all levels of education starting from the primary level
- Organise programmes to change the misconception about Government’s responsibility to provide jobs
- Profile the success stories and the strategies of the universities that were able to develop an entrepreneurial culture
- Organise programmes for the business community to engage and support entrepreneurship education in universities
- Explore what policy level changes are needed and undertake steps to achieve such
- Introduce entrepreneurship education to the TVET sector
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NEW 08 Proceedings and Outcomes
