The Republic of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has provided a grant worth USD 2.5 million to the Sri Lankan Government since 2017 to implement the Masterplan and Capacity Building of Ocean University of Sri Lanka project.

Being a country that is at the forefront in the Maritime sector globally, to ensure the quality implementation of this project, KOICA employed a Project Management Consultancy (PMC) consisting of Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Pukyong National University and AUM and LEE Architects and Associates Co.

The PMC has been dispatched to Sri Lanka eight times where they worked closely with the Sri Lanka Ocean University and the Ministry of Education.

The Handover Ceremony of this project was conducted on September 28 at the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel with the participation of Deputy Head of Mission of Korean Embassy, Ms. Miyeon Lim, Country Director, KOICA Sri Lanka Office, Ms. Myung Jin Kim, Won Suk Ha, Country Director, EDCF Colombo Office, Additional Secretaries from the Ministry of Education, and Representatives from the Department of External Resources, the Department of National Planning and the Ocean University.

The main deliverable under this project is to prepare the Masterplan for the Ocean University. The Master Plan envisages the blueprint of future Ocean University of Sri Lanka to foster professionals to contribute to boost economic development of Sri Lanka.

In addition to that, the project provided capacity building to a cross section within the Ocean University and the Maritime Sector across the country. KOICA funded the training of the High-Level Officials in the Maritime sector of Sri Lanka. Unique nature of this training was that it was not limited to the Ocean University but also benefited the other key organisations such as National Aquaculture Development Authority of Sri Lanka (NAQDA), National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) and etc.

In addition to that, the project fully funded 12 Ocean University academic staff members to obtain their Master’s Degrees under two esteemed Maritime Universities in Korea.

Administrative Officers in the Sri Lankan Ocean University were also hosted by the PMC in Korea for a short-term training programme and a series of lectures were conducted targeting the undergraduate in the Ocean University.

Upon handing over the final outcome of the project to Sri Lanka, KOICA Country Director addressing the gathering stated that “KOICA always considers education to be a key priority in our partner countries and during these difficult times that Sri Lanka is navigating through, I hope interventions like these, where the capacity of the individuals and educational institutes are strengthened, will provide a lasting impact on the country”.

The Vice Chancellor of the Ocean University of Sri Lanka Prof. Wasantha Rathnayake noted the “We have a vast exclusive economic zone and sufficient depth of water, and has high potential for development and utilization as a key hub of various marine industries based on high-quality human resources. However, it needs to overcome matters such as the lack of higher education experts and research facilities in the marine, shipping, and fisheries sectors, the lack of industrial awareness of the marine industry, and the absence of international cooperation and that is why the GOSL will continue this project by seeking funds from EDCF”.