Ambassador of Sri Lanka discusses collaboration in Higher Education sector with Türkiye

Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Ankara Hasanthi Urugodwatte Dissanayake met with the Minister of National Education of Türkiye on Monday (18), and discussed ways and means to strengthen cooperation in the field of higher Education between the two countries.

The Ambassador was confident that a Memorandum of Understanding on Higher Education between the Republic of Türkiye and Sri Lanka could be signed at the earliest, paving the way to exchange of students, academicians, researchers, and scholars especially in historical and archaeological fields.

Both parties emphasized the need to further broaden the horizons of cooperation in the education sector which can also bring economic benefits.

The Ambassador thanked the Türkiye Minister for the scholarships offered by the Turkish government and other educational institutions for Sri Lankan students. She stressed the importance of addressing issues faced by Sri Lankan students in Türkiye as a key element in encouraging more Sri Lankan students to come to Türkiye for their higher studies. The Minister expressed his hope that the bilateral cooperation would increase effectively with the signing of the MoU.

Sustainability in tourism, which needs to be inculcated from the time of education and training was also underscored by the Ambassador. She further highlighted the initiative of the Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan on “Zero Waste” as an important element that needs to be incorporated into the tourism industry through education and training. The Ambassador was positive to share Sri Lanka’s experience in this regard with Türkiye.

During the meeting, the Sri Lankan Ambassador also highlighted that Sri Lanka is a spectacular and affordable tourist destination and Forbes Magazine has recently announced that Sri Lanka as the fourth most popular solo travel destination in 2024.