Vijayan mulls giving research students access to labs in foreign countries

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said his government will initiate steps to make available in the state facilities that research students in foreign universities have access to

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said his government will initiate steps to make available in the state facilities that research students in foreign universities have access to.

Interacting with a section of doctors and research students at Bergen in Norway, Vijayan said the Scandinavian country provided its students opportunities to use the facilities in other countries for research purposes, and was of the opinion that such a model could be implemented in Kerala too.

"Students carrying out research activities in Norway have the opportunity to use the laboratories in other countries. If our research students get such advanced facilities, the quality of our research can improve," he said.

The Chief Minister's Office said in a release that during Vijayan's interaction, it was pointed out to him that most students in Kerala were not aware of the research scholarships funded by the state and the Centre.

To overcome this, the chief minister has assured to set up an advanced information system detailing all fellowships and scholarships, it said.

During his interaction, the chief minister asked the gathering to state their opinion about the education system in Norway and how they were excelling in sports.

Vijayan's visit to Norway is part of his Europe tour, which will also cover England and Wales, and is intended at bringing investments to Kerala, especially in the information technology sector, Ayurveda and tourism, besides understanding the educational models in those countries.

The tour is scheduled to be wrapped up by October 12.