First IIT campus beyond Indian borders to be set up in Tanzania

New Delhi, July 06: In a huge development, the first IIT campus to be set up outside India will be in Zanzibar, Tanzania. This agreement was inked on Wednesday in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Zanzibar's President Hussein Ali Mwinyi. Jaishakar is on a four-day visit to Tanzania. Notably, Jaishakar is on a four-day visit to Tanzania.

 

According to the MEA, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to establish a campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar, an archipelago situated off the East African coast and part of Tanzania. It said an MoU was signed between the India's education ministry, IIT Madras and Zanzibar's ministry of education and vocational training.

 

"This campus is reflective of the longstanding friendship between India and Tanzania and a reminder of the focus India places on building people to people ties across Africa and the Global South," the MEA said.

 

 

"Recognising the strategic partnership between Tanzania and India, the relationship of educational partnership has been formalised by signing the document which provides the framework for the parties to detail out the setting up of the proposed campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar-Tanzania, with plans to launch programmes in October 2023," the MEA said.

 

It said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends that "high performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries".

 

The campus, named IIT Madras at Zanzibar, is set to commence operations in October 2023 and will initially admit 50 undergraduate students and 20 master's students. Zanzibar will become one of three international campuses for IIT, alongside Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.

 

"This unique partnership will bring the top-ranked educational expertise of IITM to a prime destination in Africa and serve the imperative current needs of the region. The academic programs, curricula, student selection aspects and pedagogical details will be by IIT Madras, whereas the capital and operating expenditure will be met by the government of Zanzibar-Tanzania. IIT Madras degrees will be awarded to the students enrolled in this campus. The state-of-the-art interdisciplinary degrees are expected to attract a diverse cohort and will include students from Africa and other countries as well. Indian students are also eligible to apply to these programs," the MEA said.

 

Further, it added, "The setting up of IIT Campus shall also enhance India’s reputation globally and its diplomatic relationships and expand the international footprint of IIT Madras. It is also likely to enhance the quality of IIT Madras education and research further, due to student and faculty diversity from the international campus. It will further serve to deepen research collaborations with other top-ranked academic institutions world-wide."

 

IIT campus in Zanzibar- Tanzania is envisioned as a world class higher education and research institution with a broader mission to develop competencies in response to emerging global requirements, deepen ties between the nations, and support research and innovation in the region. It will serve as an example to the world, of the aspirational qualities of Indian higher education and innovation.