Officials of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) will visit Sri Lanka in February to begin the process to set up a branch of its campus in Sri Lanka.
According to plans, IIT-Madras will first set up a branch of its tech university next year.
The decision follows a recent meeting between Sri Lankan Education Minister Susil Premajayantha and IIT-Madras. It was facilitated by Sri Lanka’s Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, Dr D Venkateshwaran.
The meeting was a follow-up to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s invitation to the IIT-Madras to set up a branch here.
Minister Premajayantha told the Sunday Times that a Sri Lankan delegation would visit IIT-Madras in January, ahead of the IIT’s visit to Sri Lanka.
He said the IIT-Madras team would present a report to the University Grants Commission outlining its courses, initiating the process of establishing the campus branch here.
Minister Premajayantha said the campus was likely to be set up in Kandy, and already some locations had been identified.
“The establishment of the university branch will help Sri Lankan students pursue their higher studies at an affordable price locally instead of travelling overseas,” he said.
He said IIT-Madras degrees carried wider recognition, leading to employment.
