From January 25 to 28, to advance the joint initiative to establish the "Sri Lanka Digital Education and Teacher Capacity Development Demonstration Center (also known as the National College of Education Smart Classroom)," Prof. Zhou Zuoyu, Vice Chairman of the Beijing Normal University Council and Director of the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED), led a delegation to Sri Lanka for a project alignment visit. He was accompanied by Dr. Zhao Yuchi, Executive Director of INRULED, and Ms. Liu Tianyi, Programme Coordinator.

During the visit, the delegation held in-depth discussions with Huawei Sri Lanka on technical solutions for smart classrooms and future cooperation models, and conducted a thematic meeting with the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka. At the meeting, INRULED team systematically presented the strategic vision and implementation framework of the National College of Education Smart Classroom project. The project, building upon digital education facilities donated by Huawei, integrates INRULED's professional expertise in teacher education with Huawei's technological capabilities, aiming to establish a national-level digital education teacher training platform. The parties engaged in practical discussions on project objectives, key cooperation areas, and pilot plans, exchanging views on critical topics such as teacher digital leadership training and smart classroom application curriculum development.

Following the meeting, the delegation met with the Chief Commissioner of Sri Lanka's National College of Education (NCoE) under the Ministry of Education and conducted an on-site inspection of the training facilities at the Maharagama campus to gain a deep understanding of the current state and practical needs of Sri Lanka's teacher development system. Both sides held in-depth discussions on the digital transformation of pre-service and in-service teacher training, collaborative development of curriculum resources, and long-term cooperation mechanisms, laying a solid foundation for the project's subsequent implementation.

Discussion with Huawei Sri Lanka on technical solutions for smart classrooms and collaboration

INRULED visited the Maharagama Campus of Sri Lanka's National College of Education

During the stay, the delegation also visited the UNESCO South Asian Centre for Teacher Development (SACTD), the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka, and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Sri Lanka. They exchanged views on cooperation in regional teacher development, and received relevant guidance and suggestions.

INRULED visited the UNESCO SACTD

INRULED visited the UGC of Sri Lanka

INRULED visited the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Sri Lanka

This visit provided crucial input for the project's follow-up implementation. Based on the findings, INRULED will work with all stakeholders to further refine the project implementation plan, develop a replicable and scalable model for digital education cooperation, and fully promote the launch and execution of the digital education and teacher capacity development project in Sri Lanka. The initiative aims to provide systematic support for Sri Lanka's digital education transformation and teacher professional development.