It was a bright sunny November afternoon in Sri Lanka, but quite a number of people, from young adults to those in their 20s were gathered indoors, in a room inside the American Center in Colombo. Some were playing a game on a large screen, while others were gathered around the tables on the side of the room. They were celebrating the conclusion of a period of study at Makerspace, a program that aims to foster innovation by connecting young inventors, entrepreneurs and educators with technology and other resources.
For instance, among the young innovators was Judittan Loshan, who has developed a system that could monitor the availability of irrigation water to each farm as they are released from the canal. Shian Fernando is another innovator, and the home automation system he has developed allows for all electronic devices at home to be controlled through a mobile app. Other participants of Makerspace too have worked on similar projects in mechanics, electronics, computer programming and robotics. Makerspace is one of the programs offered by the Embassy of the United States of America (USA), as part of cultural diplomacy and educational cooperation.
In November, when the Sunday Observer visited Makerspace, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Rafik Mansour was visiting Sri Lanka officially, and in an interview with the Sunday Observer, referring to Makerspace, Mansour said that the STEM field is very important for the future of United States, and for the world, and is given priority.
There are currently five American spaces in different corners of Sri Lanka, in Colombo, Kandy, Jaffna, Matara, and Batticoloa – the most recent space opened during Mansour’s visit.
“Think of American Space as a cultural centre for the United States, where Sri Lankans can come in, be exposed to America,” Mansour said.
A game development class
In diplomacy, the relations between countries are very important, but that is not just the relationship between governments, Mansour says, it is also the relationship between people.
In addition to Makerspace, the USA also offered other education related programs, including the Fulbright grant program for university education, which marked 70 years in 2023, and Education USA, a free service offering consultation with an education advisor to learn about selecting universities, scholarships, and student visas.
“We gain as much from welcoming international students in our country,” Mansour said.
He said that the number of Sri Lankan students studying in the USA have increased by six percent in 2023. “We are proud of that, and love to see that number grow as well.”
There is also a partnership between the Public Affairs Section and the Consular Section to help foreign students to “demystify” the student visa process.
“So, yes, initially the process may seem overwhelming. But our visa policy is to facilitate legitimate travel to the United States, including student visas,” speaking about student visa related challenges, Mansour said.
American spaces also provide English language programs to Sri Lankans.
“English is not just a language that you learn. It’s an economic enabler all over the world. It helps you get a better job. It helps you gain access to more information,” Mansour said.
These programs provide Sri Lankans with the opportunity to build a network that could help them succeed in their future careers, he said.
“It’s important in life to develop a network,” he said, and going through the Makerspace program may enable to get a Fulbright foreign student scholarship as a graduate student, or be nominated for the International Visitors Leadership Program which is one of our flagship programs, he said.
“One-third of world leaders are alumni of US Government programs. So, this is not a tradition that was started overnight. This is a long term investment in people-to-people ties. That is important to us,” Mansour said.
The programs may also point participants towards potential career options. For example, Janitha Alendra Arachchige, who teaches programming at Makerspace said that he has collected the curriculum vitae of students to forward to an industry contact once the program concludes, so that the students could get access to internships and part time jobs.
Many of the participants of Makerspace develop solutions for real life challenges.
For instance, Lohan focused on a water distribution related challenge for farmers in rural Sri Lanka. When water is distributed from the reservoirs for farming by the irrigation department, in the villages in areas like Mullaitivu, where Lohan is from, farmers should alternate when using water from the canal to ensure that all the paddy fields receive adequate water. But, Loshan said that at the ground level, sometimes there are challenges in coordination, and farmers have to walk a few kilometres to see whether the neighbours are accessing the canal water at the same time. Lohan’s system utilises waterflow sensors to detect and send an SMS to farmers in the area each time water from the canal is being used by someone.
“Paddy fields have network issues, that is why we send text messages,” Loshan told the Sunday Observer.
This kind of education and cultural relations between the countries are crude in international relations and cooperation, Mansour said.
“Whether one winds up being a future leader of one’s country or not, we believe that the people component is very consequential and it is exactly what we need for our mutual understanding of the world. It is probably the most lasting,” he said.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Rafik Mansour addressing the youth
