Event

Her Excellency Ms. Stella Budiriganya, Ambassador of Burundi to India visited Integral University Lucknow on 18th August 2021. The event was attended by Hon’ble Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Syed Nadeem Akhtar; Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Javed Musarrat, Mr. Ghazali Sami, Deputy Director Outreach, Dr. Nilanjan Mukherji, Additional Director, Office of International Relations, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Aquil Ahmad, Registrar, Dr. Shahid Ali Khan and other higher officials of Integral University.

The curtain raiser meeting had senior faculty of the University in attendance. The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor introduced the University to H.E. Thereafter, documentaries of the University were showcased. Her Excellency was humbled by the reception and hospitality of the University. During the introductory session, H.E. expressed pleasure to be amongst academicians and appreciated her brief discussions with the members present.

The Welcome Ceremony was attended by more than 120 persons, including foreign students from many African countries.

The ceremony started with the welcome speech by Hon’ble Pro Chancellor, wherein the efforts of Integral University in reaching out to foreign students, their subsequent onboarding and provision of continuous care were shared. The Hon’ble Pro Chancellor extended the welcome to Her Excellency and assured all possible support for providing education and training to the students of Burundi. H.E. stated, in her speech the mission of the President of Burundi and that the priority of the Burundi government was “Food for every person and money for every pocket”. Burundi’s deep commitment for multi dimensional growth of the country and for attracting investments was shared by H.E. Further in her talk, Her Excellency Ms. Stella Budiriganya shared her views that India’s bilateral relations with Burundi have been cordial and are marked by developmental assistance and capacity building initiatives offered by the Government. She also acknowledged India offering scholarships and fellowships to Burundian nationals from the public and private sector to pursue fully-paid undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate, and research courses in India, enhancing the relationship between India and Burundi.

She also showcased a documentary illustrating the natural beauty, parks and tourist places of Burundi. Finally Hon’ble Vice Chancellor presented his concluding remarks and proposed the vote of thanks to Her Excellency. The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor further elaborated on the possibilities of academic collaboration between Burundi and India in the areas of higher education and research. The Welcome Ceremony ended with the presentation of the University memento to H.E. followed by the national anthems of Burundi and India. The discussions and deliberations were preceded by a tour of the Integral University campus, during which the Ambassador was shown the splendid infrastructure, hi- tech laboratories and Integral Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. She visited the ICUs, Operation Theatres, Blood Bank, Emergency Room, and Anatomy Museum, besides other facilities of the grand 550-bedded hospital and medical college. H.E. was briefed about the Paramedical and Allied Health Services offered by the institute inclusive of internship and the opportunity to work with pay while staying in the campus.

During the visit, Her Excellency said, “Integral University owns the incredible intellectual resource, and it is reassuring to witness that the Indian students are taking a profound interest in learning and innovation.” Her Excellency wishes to explore the possible avenues for cooperation between Burundi and Integral University in Academics, Training, Innovation, Scientific and Technological Research. She stated, “It is this interest and effort of the students and teachers that will carve a bright future for Indo-Burundi relations, which will further enable the two countries to make the most of this cooperation to contribute in various avenues of innovation and knowledge-sharing meaningfully.” The Pro-Chancellor, Dr. Nadeem Akhtar, advised the Integral University officials to identify more areas in the field of Science, Technology, and Arts where Burundi and Integral University can work hand in hand to make influential contributions to the entire globe. He further said that Integral University is committed to bring education at everyone’s doorstep and currently has relations with around 23 countries all around the world. Following this, he told the ambassador that Integral University has 50 departments and 200 programs, and all the faculties are excited to discuss about cooperation from her. Concluding, he said that Burundi is probably the youngest country and hence it is of a very great potential, therefore he is looking forward to build a strong bond with them.

Dwelling upon the benefits of Integral-Burundi collaboration, Dr. Nadeem Akhtar, Pro-Chancellor, Integral University, said, “Synergy of Burundi and Indian effort and intellect will enhance the idea of Indo-Burundi collaboration and will bring about great advancements to the world.”

The event started at 12 noon and concluded at 1:30 p.m.