Accelerated program vital to boost software industry

by Gamini Warushamana

Sri Lanka needs an accelerated program similar to the accelerated Mahaweli development program to boost the software industry in Sri Lanka, said CEO of the h-Senid Dinesh Saparamadu. All players should work hard under such a program to solve the issues faced by the industry by channelling resources and supporting the industry.

Saparamadu has proposed a 5-6 year program that involves the government, the industry and the universities to make Sri Lanka a hub of this knowledge business. The government should invest on infrastructure and human resource development while the industry should support to train the people. Universities and other relevant institutions should introduce IT courses to produce graduates and lower level technical staff that the industry needs.

Dearth of IT professionals

The world software industry is short of professionals and if we have enough resources foreign investments would flow in. Today Sri Lanka doest not have enough professionals and in the present situation, foreign companies coming here create a problem for us.

Today the salaries in the industry are increasing by 10-15% annually and it would adversely affect the industry. It takes a minimum of 9-12 months to train a person to the level we need.

"I strongly believe that Sri Lanka has a knowledge economy and the software and IT industry is the best option for the country. The IT revolution can do the same that the industrial revolution did to Japan, Saparamadu said.

Saparamadu said that the software industry in the country had a sound beginning. Saparamadu who is on the Faculty Board of the University of Moratuwa works closely with the university to maintain the IT courses of the university to meet the industry's requirements. There are dedicated teachers in our universities. We like to work with them. They produce very high quality technical people.

The Government should facilitate the industry and the rest is with the industry. The Government efforts should be well targeted. Our target should be to produce 1,000 IT professionals per year. Colombo, Moratuwa and Peradeniya universities have recognised IT degree programs and they should increase the intakes.

In the software development cycle we don't always need IT graduates. We can begin with lower tier technical people with good A/L qualifications and within a few years they will also become fully competent engineers.

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