In early October, Riga Technical University (RTU), having expanded its activities in the South Asia, opened two information and study centres – in Sri Lanka and India.
On 5 October, the RTU Information and Study Centre opened its doors in Colombo – the capital city of Sri Lanka. The new premises were opened by the RTU Deputy Rector for International Academic Cooperation and Studies, Professor Igors Tipāns and the RTU Deputy Director of International Cooperation and Foreign Students Department Zane Purlaura. The event was held with the participation of representatives of Sri Lanka academia, civil servants from ministries, RTU existing and potential students, as well as their parents.
Next day, on 6 October, I. Tipāns and Z. Purlaura opened the RTU Information and Study Centre in Chennai, India. Following a solemn opening, conducted in accordance with local traditions, a press conference was held, with participation of numerous representatives from Indian press and television. At the press conference, I. Tipāns emphasised that the main objective of the centre activities is to bring closer the different study systems of Latvia and India and to establish a permanent link between Indian universities and colleges and RTU. The extensive experience of RTU in the work with Indian students has allowed assessing the initial preparedness of Indian students and concluding that RTU can deepen theoretical knowledge of students and supplement their practical knowledge in the selected speciality. It is the practical applicability of the knowledge obtained at RTU that has stimulated the rapid growth of interest to studies at RTU on the part of Indian entrants, especially in Master’s programmes.
The newly opened RTU Information and Study Centre in Chennai was visited by the Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia in India Artis Bērtulis.
To improve the academic quality of Asian students and evaluate their capabilities and preparedness for RTU study programmes in English yet prior to their arrival to Latvia, RTU has been purposefully investing in the specific region by opening its information and study centres. Such centres ensure a continuous presence of RTU in the region and serve as a platform for assessing students, promote the academic recognition and help forming tighter cooperation between RTU and leading universities of India and Sri Lanka, both in academic and scientific areas.
The position of RTU in ratings of the world’s leading universities rises, also due to its targeted internationalisation policy and a big number of study programmes available in English. The quality of RTU study programmes has been evaluated by students from Europe, Asia and Latin America, and their number gradually increases, exceeding 3500 students from 80 countries last year.
