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Higher education has a special role to play in the sustainable recovery of the areas so badly affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami.

I was in Madras on the day the earthquake struck and saw first hand the effects of the tsunami. What is essential in the recovery of these areas is that we work with the communities to rebuild their lives. It is the intention of my institution to support the redevelopment of schools in Tamil Nadu and on the south coast of Sri Lanka.

The peoples of these regions are proud. What they need is a hand up not a handout. Our role is to be there for them long after the news disappears from our papers and televisions. The West will be judged on its legacy of respectful solidarity and not simply on its generosity in the immediate aftermath of this tragic event.

Gerald Pillay
Rector and chief executive
Liverpool Hope University College