On 22 - 28 September 2024, Prof. Dr.Sujitra Wongkasemjit, Vice President of Mae Fah Luang University and Dr.Nichan Singhaputargun, Acting Head of the Global Relations Division visited Assam and Meghalaya States, India along with representatives from the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi, and 12 Thai educational institutions. This visit aimed to strengthen educational cooperation between Thailand’s academic institutions and academic institutions of the North Eastern Region.
H.E. Ms. Sasirit Tangulrat, Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs led the Thai delegation to meet Dr. B. Kalyan Chakravarthy, Principal Secretary of Skill, Employment, and Entrepreneurship of Assam and high-level representatives of the Ministry of Education of Assam and the Act East Policy Affairs Department of Assam; Shri. Conrad K Sangma, Hon'ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya; Shri. Rakkam A. Sangma, Hon'ble Education Minister of Meghalaya; and Chandrashekhar H. Vijayashankar, Governor of Meghalaya. The meetings focused on promoting educational cooperation between Thailand and Assam and Meghalaya particularly in the fields of tourism and enhancement of skill capabilities among youths and entrepreneurs, as well as academic collaboration on social sciences, humanities, linguistics and culture, and information technology.
In addition, the delegation visited leading educational and training institutions in Assam state including Assam Skill Development Mission (ASDM), Gauhati University, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT), Biotech Park, and the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition (Guwahati). They discussed potential collaborations such as student and lecturer exchange programmes, dual degree programmes, joint research projects, short courses and vocational training courses.
Moreover, they visited Asian Confluence, North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), and the Institute of Hotel Management Shillong in Meghalaya State to discuss and explore potential areas of collaboration with a particular focus on human resource and youth skill development in the Northeastern Region (NER) of India.
Altogether, the India visit provided chances for MFU representatives to explore possible areas of collaboration and connect with educational institutions in Assam and Meghalaya States. This led to various academic partnerships including visiting scholar programme, co-supervisor, student exchange programme, joint research, training courses, and summer school programme marking the kick-off for long-term collaboration. These collaborations highlight the expertise of MFU and educational institutions in both states in the areas of tea, herbs, food and fruits processing, hospitality business management, wellness tourism, and science.
