Prof. Gajendra Singh in a meeting with Prof. Gunapala Nanayakhara (right), Director of Post-graduate Institute of Management, together with Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe (center), AIT Office of the President. Discussions took place around drafting a general MOU that will take into account the following key areas: senior management training programs, joint research, upgrading PIM's IT capacity, teaching/joint research opportunities, PIM students' study visits to AIT and an MBA research supervision.
Dean of AIT Extension leads mission to Sri Lanka
On 18-22 February, Prof. Gajendra Singh, Dean of AIT Extension visited Sri Lanka to hold high-level talks with senior officials of various Government Ministries, Universities and Foundations. The mission was composed of Prof. G. Singh and Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe who coordinated/arranged the various meetings.
AIT has established a very strong presence in Sri Lanka. This mission was able to build on this strong foundation and also made new contacts with the Post-graduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardanapura, and with the National Institute of Education, Ministry of Education, HRD & Cultural Affairs.
The outcomes of the mission are very positive and a commitment was received from NIE, Director of Education, Ministry of Education (MOE), Director TETD Project, MOE, Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources, External Resources Department, National Science Foundation, PIM, etc. on several new short-term trainings, three-month Certificate program, Masters, and 'split' Ph.D. program, fully funded by Donor agencies providing bilateral funding to the Government of Sri Lanka.
The mission held detailed meetings with: Director, National Science Foundation; Director HRD, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; Vice-Chancellor, University of Sri Jayawardanapura; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Director-General, External Resources Department, Ministry of Finance & Planning; Director General, National Institute of Education; Director of Education, School Library Development Unit, MOE; Director, TETD Project, MOE.
Prof. Gajendra Singh (left) handing over an AIT souvenir to Mr. N. Pathmanathan, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance & Planning. The discussion focused on the visit of AIT President, Prof. Jean-Louis Armand, to Sri Lanka very shortly to meet with H.E. Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, Honorable Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. During Prof. Armand's intended visit to Sri Lanka, arrangements are being made for him to also meet with Honorable Minister of Finance & Planning, Honorable Minister of Education, HRD & Cultural Affairs, Honorable Minister of Environment & Natural Resources, and Honorable Minister of Economic Reform, Science & Technology, and he will also meet with the respective Secretaries of Ministries.