Sri Lankan visit opens new doors for AIT
A late-March visit to Colombo resulted in several encouraging toward strengthening AIT's ties with Sri Lanka. Discussions on a two-year project on sustainable development in tsunami-affected areas are under way; a two-week training program in May could draw as many as 15 Sri Lankan officials; and as many as 30 master's and 25 short-term scholarships may be made available to AIT students.
Prof. Tawatchai Tingsanchali, Dr. Kiyoshi Honda and Mr. Sanjeev Jayasinghe, head, Erxternal Relations and Communications Office, visited Colombo from 20 to 22 March 2006.
The main purpose of the visit was to meet with the chairman of the Urban Development Authority and the chairman of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply to discuss the specific details of a two-year geo-informatics-based water supply and sanitation project for sustainable development of tsunami-affected communities in Sri Lanka
The detailed meetings the AIT team had with the chairmen and senior staff helped fine-tune the AIT proposal to fit the needs of the ministry. The final proposal will be submitted by the end of April.
The AIT delegation also had an appointment with the mayor of Colombo, and through the mayor had the opportunity to meet with the governor of the Western Province and also the secretary to the governor.
During the discussions with the governor and secretary it transpired that funding is available for a two-week seminar/study visit program on local governance and decentralization for a group of 15 Sri Lankan officials comprised of members of parliament, provincial ministers, provincial mayors and senior officers. A proposal has been prepared by AIT Extension and already sent to the secretary for comments. If approved, the program will start in mid-May.
Additionally, Mr. Jayasinghe through the introduction by the governor of the Western Province met with the additional secretary to the president and secretary to The President's Scholarship fund several short-term and master's scholarships awarded by the president in 2005 still need to be placed. The awardees are looking for overseas institutions. After introducing AIT and the important role AIT is playing in the human-resource development needs of Sri Lanka, the secretary is interested in receiving a proposal for both short-term and master's programs based on fields of study and funding criteria. There are more than 30 master's and 25 short-term slots available, covering all three schools and Extension.
Detailed proposals in consultation with school deans and the Extension director will be prepared and sent to the secretary shortly.