IIT Madras opens its first international campus in Zanzibar, to have 50% Indian students
- Campus Updates
- 07 Nov, 2023
- 277
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Zanzibar will have 50 percent Indian students and the rest from various African countries, Professor V Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras announced during the virtual inauguration of the campus on November 6 making it the first IIT in India to establish an international campus.
With faculties recruited across the world, Kamakoti said the campus will cater to around 45 students with a majority (around 30) of them enrolling in the undergraduate (UG) programmes. Admissions will be done via an entrance exam and interview.
An IIT-Madras campus was inaugurated in Zanzibar on Monday, becoming the first campus of an IIT to be opened abroad.
The new campus was inaugurated by Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, in a ceremony also attended by Tanzanian and Indian officials, as well as academics. Zanzibar is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania, and is a semi-autonomous province of Tanzania.
The pioneering venture is part of the central government’s initiative to project India’s education system onto the global stage. The campus is located in Bweleo district, a short distance from Zanzibar Town. There are plans for another, permanent campus to be built jointly by the governments of India and Zanzibar.
IIT-Madras Zanzibar will offer programmes in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, with an inaugural batch comprising students from Zanzibar, mainland Tanzania, Nepal, and India. Of the students in the first batch, 40 per cent are women.
V Kamakoti, director of IIT-Madras, who joined the inauguration ceremony virtually, said the new campus was like a journey of knowledge and innovation “that transcends borders”. Adolf F Mkenda, Tanzania’s minister of Education, Science and Technology was also present at the inaugural event.
The campus has residential facilities, dining facilities, a dispensary, and future plans for extensive sports facilities.
Preeti Aghalayam, dean of the School of Engineering and Science, and director-in-charge of the Zanzibar campus, said it was a great honour to bring the academic excellence of IIT-Madras to Zanzibar. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, dean of Global Engagement at IIT-Madras, said it was a landmark moment for the institution, and hoped the campus would play the role of a premier educational institution in Africa.
The Zanzibar campus will benefit from an array of academic collaborations, including study abroad programmes, internships with companies, and opportunities at the IIT-Madras campus in Chennai. It is open to students of all nationalities.
The Citizen, a local daily in Zanzibar, reported that the campus starts its academic year with 50 undergraduate and 20 postgraduate students.
The selection process, overseen by IIT-Madras’ Office of Global Engagement, includes a screening test and interview, ensuring that the institute maintains its rigorous academic standards abroad.
Courses offered
As of now, IIT Madras Zanzibar campus is only offering a four-year Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Data Science and AI or a two-year Master of Technology degree in Data Science and AI. The fee for the UG course has been set at around $12,000/year. The institute plans to launch five more programmes in the next five years.
The choice of Zanzibar as a campus location takes advantage of its historic role as a trade hub and its aspirations as an international business centre. The challenge of maintaining the IIT standards would be addressed in a phased approach, with the help of faculty from India and future trained local educators.
