Asian Institute of Technology to establish satellite campus

Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) President Prof. Said Irandoust yesterday met President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the issue of establishment of an AIT satellite campus in Sri Lanka.

In response to AIT’s proposal, the Government has expressed its intent to provide land for establishing the campus.

President Rajapaksa has expressed his full support and endorsement to the proposal to establish a full-fledged AIT campus in Sri Lanka. He assured that the Government would help in providing land as well as facilitating the process. The Government would also help attract global investors to join in this undertaking.

Prof. Irandoust, President AIT is currently in Sri Lanka on the invitation of the Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Gitanjana Gunawardena to discuss the proposed AIT satellite campus.

The AIT President along with Director Fundraising AIT, Sanjeev Jayasinghe; will be meeting the President, where Prof. Irandoust will make a presentation to the President on the proposed AIT Satellite campus model. He will also elaborate on the new AIT Charter where Sri Lanka is one of the signatories. Prof. J.B. Dissanayaka, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Thailand, had signed the Charter on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka on 25 August 2010.

Sri Lanka has very close ties with AIT. Since its inception in 1959, 823 students from Sri Lanka have graduated from AIT, reported the AIT website.