President attends productivity awards ceremony
President attends National Productivity Awards 2025/26 ceremony
• A society is being created under the present Government in which entrepreneurs and industrialists receive due recognition and public servants can work with satisfaction — Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti
• The National Productivity Awards are not merely a competition, but a valuable initiative to introduce a culture of productivity across the country’s entire workforce — Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake
The National Productivity Awards 2025/26 ceremony, organized by the National Productivity Secretariat under the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development to recognize excellence in the public, school, manufacturing and service sectors, was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in attendance.
The ceremony recognized institutions that demonstrated outstanding performance in productivity, innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement, with the President presenting Gold Awards to the winning institutions.
First introduced in 2003 and held biennially, the National Productivity Awards competition was conducted this year for the first time since 2021. A notable feature of this year’s competition was its organization in alignment with the Government’s flagship Clean Sri Lanka national program.
The competition encourages institutions in the public, school, manufacturing, and service sectors to adopt good practices, use resources efficiently, and improve the quality and productivity of their services and products.
The awards cover three main categories: the public sector, the school sector, and the manufacturing and service sectors. The assessment criteria include leadership, strategic management, human resource development, stakeholder relations, operational processes, innovation, digitalization and measurable productivity outcomes.
In addition, the evaluation framework incorporates the three main pillars of the Clean Sri Lanka national program – social, environmental and ethical considerations. Particular attention is given to employee welfare, community participation, waste management, energy efficiency, green productivity, transparency, accountability and ethical governance.
Addressing the gathering, Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti said:
“When we hear the word productivity, it is not a particularly familiar term to us. We are more accustomed to words that stand in opposition to productivity, such as waste, corruption and theft. For decades, inefficiency has been a major topic of discussion in our society, and we have become accustomed to it as a country. Therefore, after six years, we now have an opportunity to bring productivity back into public discussion through this recognition process.
To build a productive society by making the best possible use of our limited resources, we must study and implement the concepts of productivity properly. In the public service, criticism is often more common than recognition. Yet, even with limited facilities, public servants make considerable efforts to achieve their targets.
We should not simply demand more work from people, but give greater recognition to the work they do.
Such recognition will help create a society in which employees are respected, entrepreneurs and industrialists are valued, and public servants can perform their duties with satisfaction.
Sri Lanka is a fortunate country that even foreigners aspire to visit at least once in their lifetime. However, to transform this fortunate country into a developed and dignified nation, we need a vision and standards of our own.
Those receiving awards today should not see them as merely individual achievements. They reflect the determination and dedication of the entire team that worked alongside you. These awards recognize not only the commitment demonstrated in the past but also the commitment expected in the future.
Our aspiration is to make the National Productivity Awards the principal benchmark for measuring success in the public sector, private sector and school sector. As the Minister responsible for this subject, I extend my respect, appreciation and congratulations to all the award recipients.”
Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, addressing the ceremony, said productivity and efficiency were critically important for a developing country.
“Productivity is fundamentally about a country reaching a position where it selects the right activities, works hard and achieves greater results. Improving productivity is essential for a country to achieve sustainable economic growth, increase investment while remaining competitive with other countries, raise wages and improve living standards. Therefore, enhancing productivity in both the public and private sectors is extremely important.
It is vital to organise competitions of this nature to encourage greater enthusiasm and commitment in both the public and private sectors.
At present, approximately 15 percent of Sri Lanka’s total workforce is employed in the public sector, while 26 percent of government expenditure is allocated to it. However, the public sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remains at a relatively low, at around five per cent.
It is argued that the country remains trapped in a low-productivity cycle because of the public sector’s low productivity. Declining productivity reduces individual contributions and lowers wages, limiting the public sector’s ability to attract talented, capable individuals. At the same time, skilled public-sector employees are encouraged to move to the private sector or seek opportunities overseas, further reducing public-sector productivity.
To break this adverse cycle, we must improve the efficiency of public officials through the use of technology, automation, and digitalization.
In addition, we must improve the qualities, capabilities, and attitudes of our human resources. There is a need to transform the way employees think and work, with greater emphasis on discipline, accountability, teamwork and concepts such as Deep Work, which can improve their focus and behavior.
The Clean Sri Lanka program directly contributes to this effort to enhance productivity by bringing about behavioral changes in our human resources. Its fundamental objective is to develop a more productive human resource base within Sri Lankan society.
It is commendable that this productivity awards competition has been opened not only to the public and private sectors but also to the school system and youth groups. This is not merely a competition; it is a valuable initiative to introduce productivity to the entire workforce.
In the future, the scope of this competition should be further expanded by bringing more people into the program.”
Minister of Science and Technology Professor Chrishantha Abeysena, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Thilaka Jayasundara, Director General of the National Productivity Secretariat Suranga Gunaratne, and officials of the Secretariat were also among those present.