COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Navy, for the first time in the history of the country has enrolled women to join naval academy to be trained as officers.
Female personnel in Sri Lanka started to get Navy assignments in 2022, but until now it was only for sea duty.
This week, six women were among the group of 66 cadets who got academy appointment at the Sri Lanka Navy headquarters in Colombo.
Capt. Gayan Wickramasuriya, the Navy’s spokesperson, told Arab media on Friday that first time Sir Lanka has recruited lady cadets to the Naval and Maritime Academy.
He noted that there are so many lady officers working in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan also.
He said the women can do the same jobs as men, that is why the commander of the Navy decided to recruit the lady cadets.
J.H.D.D. Sethara, one of the women who is going to start naval academy training, said she has always been drawn to the sea and the opportunity allows her to combine her passion with service in the armed forces.
She said since her childhood she wanted to work for the Navy. The lady cadet said this is a good opportunity to show the strength of women
The Sri Lankan governments has been making efforts to enable women to rise in the country’s military hierarchy.
The government last month said that to encourage women in military service changes are currently being drafted in military laws.
