India & Sri Lanka signed MoU to set up Engineering & Agricultural faculty for University of Jaffna

India on 14 July 2014 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sri Lanka for setting up a Faculty of Agriculture and a Faculty of Engineering for the University of Jaffna at Kilinochchi.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Sri Lanka’s Minister of Higher Education, SB Dissanayake in Colombo and the signatories of the MoU were
• YK Sinha, High Commissioner of India
• Dunil Jayantha Nawaratne, the Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education

The Main Elements of the MoU signed
• India will set up the physical infrastructure for the two faculties. The physical infrastructure for the two faculties will comprise of
• Lecture halls, a conference hall, computer laboratory, library, and sports complex for the Faculty of Agriculture
• Lecture halls, a conference hall, laboratories, administrative office and staff room for the Faculty of Engineering
• India will also train the teaching staff of the two faculties at prestigious Indian colleges
• Government of India will also provide support for curriculum development, faculty exchanges, training and research
• The estimated cost of 30 crore rupees (600 million SLR) for the project will be given by India through grant assistance

Significance of the MoU
It will directly benefit the students in the war torn northern region of Sri Lanka and help to develop the region as a whole through capacity building.

India-Sri Lankan Knowledge Initiative
India-Sri Lanka Knowledge Initiative was signed in 2010 to tap the immense potential that exists in the two countries in the area of knowledge. As per the Initiative, India provides Sri Lanka with extensive assistance in education sector with a number of annual scholarships for meritorious students and by training teachers in various specialized fields. At present about 800 scholarships are available annually to Sri Lanka students.

Other projects of Government of India that has been implemented for education sector in Sri Lanka includes
• The setting up of Nenasalas (e-Learning Centres) in Eastern, Western and Southern Provinces
• Renovation of 79 war-damaged schools in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya
• Setting up of five Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) at Puttalam, Batticaloa and Nuwara Eliya
• Supply of 1260 computers and 218 laser printers to about 500 schools in the Eastern Province
• Setting up of a Siddha Faculty at Trincomalee
• Setting up language laboratories in each of the nice provinces of Sri Lanka to train teachers from schools and colleges
• Gifting of 110 buses to educational institutions for assisting school students