The Commonwealth of Learning – Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) launched the Sri Lanka National Cohort of the Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance through a virtual national convening held on 5 August 2026.

The event brought together students from universities across Sri Lanka to establish a national student community that will enable young people to connect, collaborate, exchange ideas, and contribute to national and global discussions on AI governance.

In his inaugural address, Dr. B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, highlighted Sri Lanka’s emerging AI strategy and emphasised the important role of universities and young people in advancing the country’s AI ecosystem. Encouraging students to move beyond being consumers of AI technologies, he urged them to become creators and innovators by developing AI solutions, forming AI clubs within their universities, collaborating with industry, and contributing to open-source AI projects and startups. He also emphasised that the student community would provide a platform for students to engage with one another and strengthen youth participation in shaping the future of AI.

Delivering the national perspective, Ms. Ishanthie Jayawardena, Director of Education, Ministry of Education, Government of Sri Lanka, welcomed the initiative and encouraged students to actively engage with the opportunities created through the newly established community.

The programme also featured experience-sharing by representatives from the India and Pakistan Student Communities for AI Governance, who shared their experiences of student-led initiatives and international collaboration through the Commonwealth network. Participants then engaged in interactive group discussions to identify Sri Lanka’s priority AI governance issues, propose activities for the national community, and develop recommendations that will contribute to the forthcoming Commonwealth-wide student dialogue.

The launch marks the beginning of Sri Lanka’s participation in the growing Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance, which is being established across member countries to strengthen interdisciplinary student engagement, foster cross-country collaboration, and amplify youth voices in national and global AI governance discussions.