KOICA Delivers 18,750 Masks and 120,000 Pairs of Sanitary Gloves to Six Technical Colleges in Sri Lanka

Expecting Improved Access to Local Vocational Education Opportunities in Sri Lanka Through Creating a Safe Educational Environment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA delivered quarantine supplies to ensure safe educational activities at vocational training colleges in Sri Lanka.

KOICA's Sri Lanka office announced on the 12th that it delivered quarantine supplies for six vocational colleges nationwide at the Department of Technical Education and Training (DTET) in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, on the 11th. The delivered items include 18,750 health masks, 120,000 pairs of sanitary gloves, and 750 hand sanitizers.

Currently, Sri Lanka has implemented strong movement restrictions since mid-March to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including suspension of flights banning foreign entry, nationwide lockdowns, and school closures. However, from mid-May, while maintaining curfews in major cities, the country is preparing for the return of office workers working from home and the start of university semesters, increasing the possibility of a resurgence of COVID-19.

KOICA's Sri Lanka office planned to support COVID-19 response quarantine supplies to create a safe technical education environment locally as social activities resume. The target institutions for the quarantine supplies are six vocational colleges under the Sri Lankan government where KOICA overseas volunteers have been active: Maradana Vocational College, Kuliyapitiya Vocational College, Kurunegala Vocational College, Kandy Vocational College, Warakapola Vocational College, and Kegalle Vocational College.

KOICA expects that this supply will protect approximately 12,000 students and faculty members from COVID-19 and contribute to preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the local community. It is also anticipated to create a safe environment preventing COVID-19 infection when KOICA overseas volunteers return to their institutions.

Kang Yeon-hwa, head of KOICA's Sri Lanka office, said, "We hope this support will contribute to the vocational training education environment in Sri Lanka, which is facing difficulties due to COVID-19," and added, "KOICA's Sri Lanka office will continue necessary cooperation to help Sri Lanka overcome COVID-19 as Korea's representative development cooperation agency."

Meanwhile, earlier on April 30, KOICA's Nepal office delivered personal protective equipment (PPE), masks, medical masks, medical gloves, and hand sanitizers to four hospitals designated by the Ministry of Health as COVID-19 response hospitals among KOICA-supported and cooperative hospitals to address the shortage of protective supplies for local medical personnel.

In addition to KOICA's Sri Lanka and Nepal offices, 39 KOICA overseas offices including Vietnam plan to support quarantine supplies worth about 2 million dollars to respond to COVID-19 locally.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.