A 10-member group of school boys of St. Patrick’s College, Jaffna, visited India, sponsored by the Student Exchange Programme of the India-Sri Lanka Foundation. The team was accompanied by Rev. Fr. M. Jero Selvanayagam, Rector of the school and Mr. Berty Bannister, a teacher.
The student team was hosted by St Francis de Sales Senior Secondary School, Janakpuri, New Delhi. This is the first visit to Delhi in several decades by a team of school boys from Jaffna.
The India-Sri Lanka Foundation was established by the Governments of India and Sri Lanka in 1998 in order to promote greater understanding through enhancement of economic, scientific, educational, technical and cultural cooperation between the peoples of the two nations. The student exchange programme of the Foundation seeks to develop and enhance the close bonds of friendship between schools and students of the two countries.
The St. Patrick’s team from Sri Lanka was able to showcase their skills in a football game, when they participated alongside their Indian counterparts at the Annual Father Peter Mermier Football Tournament 2011, organized by St. Francis de Sales Senior Secondary School at their grounds. They participated in cultural performances, depicting both Sinhala and Tamil culture, at the welcome ceremony accorded to them at the St Francis de Sales Senior Secondary School. The Sri Lankan boys’ team had the opportunity to visit the homes of their Indian peers and to experience Indian cuisine and to have a glimpse of the rich Indian culture.
The Sri Lankan student team, together with the Indian school team visited the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi and met High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam. They expressed appreciation for including students from Jaffna in the student exchange programme.
Sri Lanka High Commission
New Delhi
August 18, 2011
