Zahira students in India on student exchange programme

Principal of Zahira College, Colombo accompanied by seven students are in India until April 22 under a Student Exchange Programme of India-Sri Lanka Foundation.

Bal Bharati Public School, New Delhi is hosting the Zahira College delegation. Students from Bal Bharati Public School will pay a reciprocal visit to Zahira College later this year.

The visit has been organized by the India-Sri Lanka Foundation, pursuant to an announcement made by Indian High Commissioner Ashok K Kantha during his visit to Zahira College as the Chief Guest at the annual inter house sports meet in February 2012.

The students were selected for the visit on the basis of various competitions organised by the school such as inter-house debate and essay competitions on themes related to India-Sri Lanka relations.

Zahira College has a long and historic association with India. Distinguished visitors from India to Zahira College including eminent Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, C Rajagopalachari, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarojini Naidu. A photographic exhibition 'Islamic Monuments of India' displaying vast and rich heritage of Islamic architecture in India was also displayed at Zahira College during the High Commissioner's visit.

India-Sri Lanka Foundation under its Student Exchange Programme has supported exchange of visits between students of Ladies College, Colombo and Delhi Public School in 2009; Holy Family Convent, Jaffna and St. Francis School, New Delhi in 2010; St. Francis De Sales School, New Delhi and St. Patrick's College Jaffna in 2012 to promote youth exchanges between the two countries.

ISLF continues to support youth centric programmes and in the last three years had supported a number of educational visits benefiting 100 students.

Some of these include participation of 20 students from Northern province in an educational visit to New Delhi; organisation of a cricket match between Jaffna district under 19 cricket team and DPS, R.K. Puram in New Delhi, participation of eight students and two teachers from Richmond College Galle in the Gateway Computer Tournament organised by Montfort Sr. Secondary School, New Delhi; participation of 12 students and three lecturers from the University of Colombo in the South Asian Economics Students Meet (SAESM); participation of six members each from the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka and the Sabaragamuwa University in BLISSPOINT 2011 organised by Economics Association of Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University and organisation of a field visit to Sri Lanka for 15 students of Center for Historical studies, JNU following start of an academic course on early history of Sri Lanka.

The India-Sri Lanka Foundation was established by a Memorandum of Understanding between the government of India and Sri Lanka in 1998 to foster India-Sri Lanka relations through the enhancement of economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation and to promote greater understanding between the people of the two countries.