High Commissioner of India, H.E. Mr. Ashok K. Kantha, inaugurated the Great Indian Education Fair being held at the Sri Lanka Exhibition & Convention Centre in Colombo from 23-25 April 2010. The Fair is organized by M/s Affairs Exhibitions & Media Pvt. Ltd and supported by Ceylon Chamber of commerce, Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Sri Lanka Convention Bureau. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Dr. Anura Ekanayake, Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Salinda Bandara, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, and Mr. Sanjeev Bolai, Managing Director of AFAIRS Affairs Exhibitions & Media Pvt. Ltd.

The Great Indian Education Fair showcases over 40 prominent Indian universities, colleges, schools and educational institutions and offers information on educational services available at these institutions from primary and secondary school level up to under-graduate, post-graduate and research-level education. It is meant to provide information to the student-parent community in Sri Lanka who are interested in availing educational opportunities offered by these educational institutions. It is also a forum for interaction between educational institutions of the two countries interested in various collaborative arrangements.

Speaking on the occasion, the High Commissioner said that education was a key dimension of our partnership with great prospects for future development. Both India and Sri Lanka, with large services sector, recognize the importance of an educated work force for achieving economic growth and prosperity for their people. In that context, education is a core component of the multi-faceted partnership that the two countries were developing. Referring to Sri Lanka’s achievement in the primary education sector and India’s strengths in the area of higher education, in particular, he said that we must develop a symbiotic relationship, a relationship of give and take, where each learns from the other’s experience.

High Commissioner said that India has now developed the third largest higher education system in the world with a strong network of universities and educational institutions. India today had over 400 universities, including a large number of specialized medical, agricultural, forestry, veterinary and open universities, and about 20,000 colleges in a variety of specialized and non-specialized disciplines, apart from globally recognized institutions of excellence like the IITs and the IIMs. India was undergoing a revolution in the field of educational infrastructure with contributions from both Government and the private sector. A slew of higher education institutions, including new IITs, IIMs and other centres of excellence, are being opened. The private sector was playing an important role in this area and majority of engineering colleges and many medical colleges, management schools and other institutions were in the private sector. The Government of India has made Right to Education a Fundamental Right under the Constitution and also decided to bring in legislation allowing foreign higher education institutions to operate in India.

High Commissioner added that the emerging educational landscape in India offers new opportunities for Sri Lankan students who seek quality education at affordable cost. Degrees and diplomas offered by Indian institutions are recognized the world over. Courses are offered in English language, and Sri Lankan students enjoy a high level of cultural comfort studying in India, given similarities in our socio-cultural traditions and lifestyles.

With regard to our ongoing cooperation in the education sector, High Commissioner informed those present that a diverse menu of scholarship programs are offered by Government of India for Sri Lankan students. These provide opportunities to pursue higher studies in India in a variety of fields such as engineering and other professional disciplines as well as humanities. Under these schemes, about 450 students benefited for studies within Sri Lanka and over 250 were sent to India in the year 2009. There were also self financing schemes for pursuing undergraduate and post graduate courses attracting large number of Sri Lankan students. In addition, each year India provides about 200 training slots for middle and higher level professionals under the ITEC, Colombo Plan and BIMSTEC schemes. There are other specialized training programmes, for instance, 16 MSc and 21 PhD slot at Indian agricultural research institutions have been made available to Sri Lankan students. English language training has emerged as another key area of cooperation. In 2008 and 2009, India had funded training in India of two groups of 40 English language teacher trainers each and assisted with setting up of Sri Lanka – India Centre of English Language Training at Peradeniya, which was formally inaugurated by India’s Foreign Secretary in March 2010.