• Govt officials’ tech skills to be enhanced  
• Digital literacy qualifications to be mandatory for new recruits

The authorities have initiated key steps under a national programme aimed at transforming the country into a digital economy by fully digitising the State service and enhancing the technological skills of Government officials.A special discussion on the initiative was held under the leadership of the Deputy Digital Economy Minister Eranga Weeraratne.The programme identifies several core objectives, including improving efficiency in the State service in line with global technological trends, reducing service delays and enhancing the technical knowledge of State officials. Special focus will be given to reducing technological resistance among senior officials, while prioritising the development of digital literacy skills and raising awareness on cybersecurity. It has been proposed to introduce an electronic-learning platform to train hundreds of thousands of State servants, along with a micro-learning approach using short video lessons accessible via mobile phones.

There are also discussions on making the completion of these digital literacy courses a mandatory requirement for annual performance evaluations and the promotions of State officials. Additionally, an agreement was reached on utilising office and school computer laboratories for afternoon training sessions, introducing gamification methods, and issuing certificates with digital signatures. The programme is planned to be implemented under a three-pronged strategy covering the training of existing employees, making digital qualifications mandatory for new recruits, and reforming school and university curricula to align with the digital economy. As an initial phase, a short cybersecurity awareness course and practical training on the use of official email systems and collaboration tools for State officials are scheduled to be introduced.