India–Sri Lanka Educational Ties Strengthened with Launch of Hindi Language Course at KDU.
MOUs and Agreement
On July 3, 2025, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, launched its first on-campus Hindi Language Learning Programme in collaboration with India’s Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), marking a major step in bilateral educational and cultural engagement.
- The programme, inaugurated by India’s High Commissioner Santosh Jha and KDU Vice‑Chancellor Rear Admiral HGU Dammika Kumara, aims to equip both military cadets and civilian undergraduates with foundational Hindi language skills and cultural literacy, strengthening India–Sri Lanka educational ties The programme, inaugurated by India’s High Commissioner Santosh Jha and KDU Vice‑Chancellor Rear Admiral HGU Dammika Kumara, aims to equip both military cadets and civilian undergraduates with foundational Hindi language skills and cultural literacy, strengthening India–Sri Lanka educational ties.
- Hindi, spoken by over 600 million people globally, offers students access to Indian literature, cinema, media, and professional opportunities—a key reason emphasised by Santosh Jha during the launch.
- The course is the first on-campus Hindi elective at KDU, complementing the Open University of Sri Lanka’s distance‑learning Hindi certificate launched in January 2025—catering to rising demand for Hindi courses across Sri Lanka.
Main Point :- (i) In January 2025, the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), in collaboration with the Open University of Sri Lanka, launched Sri Lanka’s first-ever certificate-level Hindi course through distance learning, extending Hindi education access to over 88 schools and 9 public universities. This milestone significantly expanded SVCC’s outreach and established Hindi as a growing academic language across Sri Lanka’s formal education system.
(ii) The curriculum includes reading, writing, speaking, comprehension, and cultural modules taught by qualified Indian instructors, aiming to foster multilingual competence and intercultural awareness among Sri Lankan students.
(iii) This initiative is part of broader India–Sri Lanka collaboration—bolstered by scholarships to study Hindi in India—signalling deeper people-to-people connections and cultural diplomacy through education .
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