New Delhi: In a significant development, the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India, along with IIT Madras, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
The purpose of the MoU is to establish the first-ever campus of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) outside of India. On July 5, 2023, this historic agreement was formally signed in the honourable presence of H.E. Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, and Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India.
The MoU recognises the longstanding strategic partnership between Tanzania and India. The MoU also provides the framework and details for setting up of the proposed campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
The document proposes to launch the program in October 2023.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a press release stated, “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.”
The release further informed that the degrees awarded to the students enrolled in the campus will be of IIT Madras. This move is said 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 campus is expected to enhance India’s reputation globally 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, as per the release.