Business
Dialog & Ministry of Education Continue to Facilitate Equitable Access to Education in Sri Lanka
Furthering their shared mission of providing equitable access to education for all students across the country, Dialog Axiata PLC and the Ministry of Education revised their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the operations of the Nenasa initiative.
In line with the Ministry’s vision for a digitally enabled education landscape in Sri Lanka, under the revised MOU, the integration of the eight Nenasa TV channels and the Nenasa Educational App with the Ministry’s National Learning Content Management System (LCMS) e-Thaksalawa will create a comprehensive smart education ecosystem. This ecosystem will comprise TV channels, a web-based LCMS, and an Education App compatible with mainstream operating systems. Going a step further, Dialog has facilitated free access on its network for the native content hosted on Nenasa, e-Thaksalawa and the LEARN (Lanka Education And Research Network) online platforms. The Nenasa Smart School programme will play a vital role in empowering competent smart Digital Educators and fostering the development of quality educational content at both national and school levels. In addition, the MoU will further facilitate the VAAYU project, an IoT-based air quality monitoring initiative, with selected Nenasa Smart Schools serving as air quality monitoring hubs.
Speaking about the initiative, Hon. Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Education said, “Dialog and the Ministry of Education have revised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning the Nenasa initiative. This initiative encompasses eight Television Channels, specifically designed for students from grades 1 to 13. The updated MoU not only includes these channels but also establishes a comprehensive ecosystem consisting of educational apps as well as projects intended to foster the development of skilled digital educators. Moreover, the Ministry of Education has established a dedicated control centre to oversee this operation. It is important to highlight that Dialog offers all these services completely free of charge, with the aim of enhancing the local education landscape.”
Commenting, Supun Weerasinghe, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata PLC said, “Dialog is committed to providing equitable access to education for all students across Sri Lanka and this revised MOU with the Ministry of Education is a significant step towards this goal. The consolidation of these platforms will create a comprehensive smart education ecosystem, providing students with access to high-quality educational content, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. We are proud to partner with the Ministry of Education to make this vision a reality.”
Dialog has invested over Rs. 600 million in the Nenasa TV operation, demonstrating its commitment to inclusive and accessible education. Over 2,500 schools nationwide have received television sets, accompanied by a tailor-made satellite television package from Dialog Television, ensuring free access to the eight Nenasa TV channels. These channels offer educational and edutainment content aligned with the local syllabus and are available to over 1.7 million Dialog Television subscribers at no cost. Complementary projects including the Nenasa Smart School and the Nenasa Educational App were launched, focusing on upskilling digital educators and providing educational opportunities for underprivileged children.
Ceylinco Life’s Ambalantota branch agent AIP Manjula has been named one of three global finalists for the prestigious Insurance Agent of the Year award at the 11th Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards (ATLAA) 2026.
The recognition places a Sri Lankan insurance professional among the finalists in a regional field spanning South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Ceylinco Life said the achievement reflected the calibre and customer-focused approach of its agency force, while recognising Manjula’s professionalism and commitment to policyholders.
The award evaluates insurance agents on criteria extending beyond sales performance, including ethical conduct, client service, policy persistency, digital adoption, innovative practices and contributions to the insurance industry and community.
The awards are organised by Asia Advisers Network and Asia Insurance Review, with LIMRA as co-organiser. An independent judging and balloting process is monitored by KPMG as the official scrutineer. The judging panel comprises senior insurance executives, association presidents and industry experts from across the Asia-Pacific region.
CEAT Kelani Holdings (CKH) has retained its National Long-Term Rating of ‘AA+(lka)’ with a Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the company’s financial resilience and leading position in Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre market.
The ‘AA+(lka)’ rating, the second-highest on Fitch’s national scale, indicates a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments.
Fitch said CKH’s established market leadership and resilient financial profile remained key strengths, while noting its exposure to price-sensitive, cyclical and highly competitive markets.
The Stable Outlook reflects expectations that the company will maintain its market position despite rising input costs and increasing competition from imported tyres, while preserving adequate credit metrics during periods of weaker earnings and higher investment.
Fitch expects CKH’s established brand, extensive dealer network and adaptive pricing strategies to support its market position. Planned production facility upgrades are also expected to improve product quality, particularly in the radial tyre segment.
The rating agency expects near-term pressure on margins from higher raw material and energy costs but said the company’s low leverage and sound liquidity would provide a cushion.
CKH Chairman Chanaka De Silva said the rating reinforced the company’s focus on disciplined financial management, operational adaptability and long-term investment.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise, the enterprise services arm of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC, has launched its Premium Cloud service powered by Nutanix, aimed at helping Sri Lankan businesses modernise their IT infrastructure and accelerate digital transformation.
The service was unveiled at the Lanka Tech Summit 2026 held recently at ITC Ratnadipa, Colombo.
The Premium Cloud combines hybrid multi-cloud capabilities with enterprise-grade performance, enabling businesses to run mission-critical workloads, scale cloud deployments and strengthen business continuity through disaster recovery capabilities.
Hosted on SLT-MOBITEL’s Tier III data centre infrastructure, the platform is designed to provide enhanced security, reliability and flexibility while supporting the growing technology requirements of enterprises.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise said the platform would also support organisations seeking to adopt AI-ready capabilities and improve the management and performance of IT workloads.
A key feature of the launch was SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise joining the Nutanix Elevate Service Provider Program (NESPP), which the company said made it the first service provider in the region to join the programme.
Powered by Nutanix’s hybrid multicloud platform, the service enables application and data mobility across on-premises environments, public clouds and edge locations.
The company said the partnership combined Nutanix’s cloud technology with SLT-MOBITEL’s local expertise and support, strengthening its multi-cloud portfolio.
Buttler out of Oval decider as Lawrence earns ODI call-up
Showers will occur in the Western, Eastern, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts.
Nor’easter brings flooding as New York and New Jersey declare emergency 2 hours ago
Trump rejects Iran deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz in seven days
Govt plans to hire 121,000 state workers, redistribute tax revenue
Parliament clears 22A amid protests
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News4 days agoMastermind Naufer Moulavi among 15 found guilty
-
News6 days agoHatton youth protest against reported death sentence for Lankan in Saudi Arabia
-
News5 days agoProtest against setting up of cement factory in highly populated area near BIA
-
News6 days agoMahaweli rises as heavy rain triggers flood, landslide fears
-
Latest News7 days agoLandslide Red Alerts issued to the districts of Kandy, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya
-
Midweek Review4 days agoThileepan’s fast unto death: An authentic narrative that many missed
-
Editorial4 days agoBig Bad Bills
-
Latest News3 days agoShowers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara Districts