Colombo: The Indian government has offered scholarships to 41 Sri Lankan government schoolteachers to undergo a special English training course at the reputed English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad.

Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, the teachers will be fully sponsored for the three-month course and will be expected to return home to work as master trainers in the government education sector.

At a special function here to award the scholarships, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad said that by offering the scholarships New Delhi was assisting in President Mahinda Rajapaksa's "English as a life skill" initiative.

"The government of India is very happy to partner Sri Lanka in this far-reaching presidential initiative to upgrade the level English education in this country. It is a well-conceived and designed initiative," Prasad said.

He said that the Indian government was also assisting in establishing an English language school at Peradeniya in the central Kandy district, in addition to the private sector collaboration between the two countries in English language education.

Speaking on the occasion, Education Minister Susil Premajayanth welcomed India's prompt response to the presidential initiative by offering the scholarships and by setting up the Kandy facility. IANS