Thiruvananthapuram, March 6 The Sri Lankan government has expressed interest in understanding Kerala's model for engaging the diaspora of scholars, the KSHEC said on Friday.
In light of this interest from Sri Lanka, a knowledge-sharing session was held on Friday between officials of the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat and representatives of the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) regarding the Scholar Connect platform, according to a release.
The platform is a digital initiative developed by the KSHEC to connect international scholars, particularly members of the Kerala diaspora, with universities and colleges in the state, the release stated. The knowledge-sharing session was held online.
The discussions focused on the operational aspects of the initiative, including identifying and engaging diaspora scholars, legal and institutional considerations, due diligence processes, and the digital infrastructure required to support such a platform, the release said.
In his opening remarks, Professor Rajan Gurukkal, Vice-Chairman of the KSHEC, explained the role and mandate of the Council and highlighted the objectives of the initiative, which aims to connect international scholars with universities and colleges in Kerala, the release stated.
Dr Rajan Varghese, member secretary of the KSHEC, presented an overview of the higher education landscape in India and outlined key features of Kerala's higher education system, including its strong academic base and growing emphasis on equity and quality through international collaboration, the release stated.
A presentation on the Scholar Connect platform was made by Eldho Mathews, Programme Officer (Internationalisation) at the KSHEC.
He explained the design and functioning of the platform, including the scholar-matching process, governance mechanisms, and approaches to ensuring quality assurance, the release said.