ISI Awards Diplomas To International Trainees From 11 Countries At 77th ISEC Convocation
Report By Sunanda Mitra
Kolkata, May 28, 2026:
The Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, on Wednesday organised the Convocation Ceremony of the 77th Term of the International Statistical Education Centre (ISEC), reaffirming India’s growing role in global statistical education and international technical cooperation.
The convocation ceremony was held at the A.N. Kolmogorov Bhawan inside the ISI campus, where diplomas were awarded to 18 international trainees who successfully completed the prestigious 10-month Diploma Course in Statistical Theory and Applications.
Padma Shri awardee Prof. Bimal Kumar Roy, former Chairperson of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) and former Director of ISI, delivered the convocation address. Prof. S. P. Mukherjee, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ISEC, presided over the programme.
Prof. Amartya Kumar Dutta, Director of ISI, welcomed the guests and awarded diplomas to the trainees, while Prof. Ayanendranath Basu, Acting Member-Secretary of ISEC, presented the annual review of the Centre. Prof. Sandip Mitra, Assistant Member-Secretary of ISEC, delivered the vote of thanks.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Bimal Kumar Roy underlined the importance of data privacy in the digital era. He stated that statistical data plays a crucial role in policymaking and implementation in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and education, but protecting individual privacy while publishing and analysing data is equally important.
Prof. Roy also remembered legendary statistician Prof. P. C. Mahalanobis and highlighted the global significance of the “Mahalanobis D-Square” method in scientific and mathematical measurements.
Prof. S. P. Mukherjee spoke about Prof. Mahalanobis’ contribution towards nation-building, economic planning and the establishment of ISEC as an internationally respected institution for statistical education.
Congratulating the graduating trainees, Prof. Amartya Kumar Dutta encouraged them to continue contributing towards the advancement of statistics and evidence-based governance in their respective nations.
The graduating trainees represented 11 countries — Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
The awardees of the 77th Term Regular Course are:
- Haftom Girmay Gebru (Ethiopia)
- Pardeep Singh (Fiji)
- Silas Jobe (Gambia)
- Theophilus Kankam (Ghana)
- Ebenezer Kojo Addo (Ghana)
- Yin Mar Win (Myanmar)
- Ei Thaw Tar Mon (Myanmar)
- Soe Yee Mon (Myanmar)
- May Yi Aung (Myanmar)
- Moh Moh Aung (Myanmar)
- Jitendra Ranabhat (Nepal)
- Youssouf Souleymane Maiga (Niger)
- Sanoussi Bizo Bagaya (Niger)
- Sori Diallo Ibrahim (Niger)
- Wani Aquilino Gowrit Kenyi (South Sudan)
- Herath Mudiyanselage Lakshi Saranga Abeyrathna (Sri Lanka)
- Christopher David Ngalya (Tanzania)
- Lloyd Mteliso (Zimbabwe)
The course is conducted by ISEC in collaboration with the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme under the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
ISEC provides specialised training in theoretical and applied statistics to participants from countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Most participants are officials from national statistical organisations, government departments and financial institutions.
Since its inception, the programme has trained nearly 1,746 participants from 86 countries, strengthening India’s position as a global hub for statistical education and capacity-building.
