Indian Education Goes International: First IIT Campus Outside India To Come Up In Tanzania

The first ever IIT campus outside India will be set up in Zanzibar-Tanzania.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of campus of IIT Madras in Zanzibar- Tanzania was signed today (6 July) between the Union Ministry of Education, IIT Madras and Zanzibar-Tanzania's Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT).

The pact was signed in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi.

"Signing of MoU between Ministry of Education, IIT Madras and MoEVT Zanzibar-Tanzania for setting up of IIT Madras-Zanzibar campus marks a historic beginning towards internationalisation of Indian education," Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a tweet on Thursday.

"The initiative is an embodiment of PM Narendra Modi’s commitment to strengthen South-South cooperation as well as forge stronger people-to-people ties with Africa. NEP is paving the way for making knowledge a key component of bilateral relations as well as for advancing global good," he added.

National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on Internationalisation and recommends that “High performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries”. 

Recognising the strategic partnership between the Tanzania and India, the relationship of educational partnership has been formalized 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 Ministry of Education said.

"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 ministry said.

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, it said.

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 Tanzania and other countries as well.

Indian students are also eligible to apply to these programmes.

According to the ministry, the setting up of IIT Campus will 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, the ministry added.

"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," the ministry said.