India and Sri Lanka signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the up-gradation of infrastructure in Plantation Schools. The MoU was signed by Acting High Commissioner of India Vinod. K. Jacob and, Secretary, Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka N.H.M. Chithrananda in Colombo.

The project envisages up-gradation of infrastructure of nine plantation schools as identified by Government of Sri Lanka under Indian grant assistance of LKR 300 mn . It includes six schools in the plantation sectors of Central Province and one school each in Uva, Sabaragamuwa and Southern Provinces, Colombo Gazette reported.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo said that the Government of India has been implementing several projects in the field of Education island-wide, deepening India-Sri Lanka cooperation in the education sector.
 
Construction and renovation of many school buildings in Northern Province is also being undertaken under Indian grant assistance. New school buildings in five schools were simultaneously handed over to the people of Sri Lanka on 15 January 2020.

India has constructed the largest University auditorium in Sri Lanka at the Ruhuna University. The Indian High Commissioner’s Gold Medals for the best-performing students in the fields of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science at Ruhuna University were instituted in January 2020.

India has also established the Faculty of Agriculture and Engineering in the Kilinochchi campus of Jaffna University. In addition, India offers 750 scholarships annually to the Sri Lankan students to study for Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Doctoral studies in India and Sri Lanka.

These projects are in continuation of the Government of India’s people-oriented development cooperation with the Government of Sri Lanka.

India’s overall commitment of development assistance to Sri Lanka stands at a total of around US$ 3.5 billion and among these, US$ 560 million under grants.