MOU between Pathfinder and Nalanda University of India

The Pathfinder Foundation and Nalanda University recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two institutions promoting scholarly and educational exchanges, Pathfinder announced in a news release.

“Among other areas, the MOU endeavours to foster intellectual, cultural, and historical ties and to strengthen academic collaboration in mutually agreed areas. The two institutions will also collaborate by hosting seminars, conferences, symposia, and workshops to enhance knowledge-sharing experiences and best practices of relevant stakeholders in both Sri Lanka and India,” it said.

Pathfinder Foundation Chairman Bernard Goonetilleke and Vice-Chancellor of N?land? University Professor Abhay Kumar signed the MoU.

The Pathfinder Foundation is an independent, non-partisan research and advocacy think-tank focusing on policy research and action-oriented policy reform. Its regular publications, forums, conferences and advocacy work have stimulated public discussion on current issues, enhanced economic reform, and fostered local, bilateral, and multilateral dialogue and understanding.

“The Foundation has successfully created a culture of open discussion on a broad range of issues, providing an important and trusted platform for Track 1.5 and Track 2 discussions at the local, regional, and international levels. It tackles environmental and ocean-related issues in the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal,” the release said.

It added that Nalanda is a standalone international university unlike any other established in India. Located in the town of Rajgir, in the State of Bihar, Nalanda University is mandated to be an international institution to pursue intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies.

“The university contains within it a memory of the ancient Nalanda University. It is premised on the shared intent of the Member States of the East Asia Summit countries to rediscover and strengthen educational cooperation by tapping on to the East Asia region’s centres of excellence in education to improve understanding and appreciation of one another’s heritage and history.”