Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said yesterday that Singapore will be working closely with Sri Lanka over the next few years to boost the education system there.
Sri Lanka has suffered from a long civil war and Shanmugam said that Singapore wants to help with education as this can have a big impact on the lives of the locals.
Education is an area where it is clear that help can make a difference, so several Singapore organisations are already helping to train teachers and librarians in order to further education.
While Singapore cannot be active to teach the children there, it is hoped that the efforts to train teachers will mean that these people can teach the children and the benefits will be multiplied.
The Sri Lankan minister of external affairs, G.L. Peiris, said that Singapore is a good country to help them in education as it has "unrivalled expertise".
Shanmugam's visit also served to re-affirm the good relations between Singapore and Sri Lanka.