Sri Lanka

This summary document, with a foreword by Sir Arthur C. Clarke, presents the essence of a pioneering attempt to assess the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in human development in Asia. It captures the rich variety of ICT initiatives in nine Asian countries (China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam) and draws lessons for identifying policy directions.

This country report analyzes the past accomplishments, current trends and future potential of information and communications technology (ICT) in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals in Sri Lanka. It is based on a survey of Sri Lanka’s ICT initiatives and consultations with key stakeholders active in the development of ICT policies.

The report’s unique approach lies in its use of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to measure and monitor the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on human development. The report examines country-specific experiences in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam, and provides cross-country comparisons on the use of ICTs to achieve the MDGs.

This report on the use of ICTs in non-formal education provides a perspective on how ICTs are increasingly being used in the community in general to make available information and learning to a larger target group outside of the formal school system. The paper attempts to understand the penetration of ICT in delivery of Non Formal Education (NFE).

This report presents country and regional experiences from ICT for community empowerment through community learning centres (CLC) projects of UNESCO. It highlights experiences using radio, load speakers, computers, CDs, video and digital cameras. It also includes lessons learnt, as well as a synthesis of experiences from the four countries documented: Lao PDR, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

It is commonly accepted in the computer industry that information systems projects are more likely to fail than not. Academic studies by e-government researchers provide the analytical findings that confirm this practitioner insight. Failure and success are subjective assessments that vary over time and with the standpoint of those making the judgment. Evaluation results are often contested, with the dispute based on political, legal or contractual matters – and even differing academic points of view.

This study provides an analysis of the deployment of information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) in Sri Lanka with a focus on an ICT4D programme managed by the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka, the country’s largest and oldest rural development NGO, and some projects of the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), a government agency of Sri Lanka.

The main objective of the Survey is to create a consolidated source of information on the experiences of using ICTs for Education in the South Asian region, as a baseline for future work, and to provide a framework of reference for policy-makers.

This capacity building publication includes a compilation of several articles written by different authors on the activation of ICT resources in low-income agricultural communities. The articles discuss the effect that ICT, such as cell phone technology, is having on people’s lives in countries across Asia, includeing China, the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka.

e-Sri Lanka is a roadmap with the objective of harnessing ICTs towards achieving socio-economic development in the country. It is comprised of six core programmes: Re-Engineering Government, e-Society, ICT Policy, Leadership and Capacity Building, Information Infrastructure, and ICT Investment and Private Sector Development. This case study provides some background information, the implementation process, the impact and the lessons learnt from the e-Sri Lanka initiative.