• To school local educators on latest pedagogical trends, educational tech. 
• To build 10,000 houses for Northern estate workers under phase 4 of housing project   

The Government of India is to send teacher trainers from India to work with Sri Lankan teachers in order to enhance the education of the Indian-origin Tamil community (Malaiyaha Tamils) living in upcountry areas, said Indian Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Speaking at the event “Naam 200” organised by the Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Malaiyaha community in Sri Lanka, Sitharaman pledged the continuous and unwavering support of the Indian Government to uplift education in the hill country areas, stating that it would be helpful to transform and empower the community’s social mobility.

The minister stated that the Indian Government had given its special focus on providing educational support to the Malaiyaha community in Sri Lanka as a part of its development partnerships, since the Indian Government believed that education was the only wealth which could not be destroyed by any force. She further stated that the Indian Government would be working to increase its funding offers to the Ceylon Estate Workers’ Education Trust and for the establishment of the Thondaman Vocational Training Centre (TVTC). “My Government will continue its unwavering assistance to uplift education facilities for the benefit of the upcountry community. At the moment, the said trust offers 700 scholarships for Malaiyaha Tamils – for their studies in Sri Lanka and India – while offering another 200 scholarships to pursue higher education in India,” she said.

Sitharaman also added that the Indian Government will send teacher trainers to Sri Lanka to work together with Sri Lankan educators, in order to assist Sri Lankan authorities in uplifting education facilities in the upcountry region. “I am very happy to announce that as a part of our package for the Malaiyaha community, teacher trainers will be sent to Sri Lanka in order to assist Sri Lanka with the latest teaching trends and technology. I would say that the upgraded TVTC will also produce a skilled community in the upcountry,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Government of India has announced plans to build another 10,000 houses for estate workers in Sri Lanka, as part of phase four of the Indian housing project. Sitharaman revealed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that a further 10,000 houses would be built for estate workers in the Northern Province. Commenting on the success of the third phase of the housing project, she revealed that 3,700 of the 4,000 houses agreed to be established under the project had already been handed over to beneficiaries. Accordingly, the foundation stone for the first lot of the 10,000 houses was scheduled to be laid yesterday (2).