New Delhi: Ahead of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up a campus of IIT-Madras in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the new campus would mark a historic beginning towards the internationalization of higher education.

Pradhan took to his official Twitter handle to post, "Signing of MoU between @EduMinOfIndia, @iitmadras and MoEVT, Zanzibar-Tanzania for setting up of IIT-Madras-Zanzibar campus marks a historic beginning towards internationalisation of Indian education."

He added that the initiative embodies Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to strengthen South-South cooperation and build stronger people-to-people ties with Africa.

"The initiative is an embodiment of PM @narendramodi'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," Pradhan added in his tweet.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of campus of IIT-Madras in Zanzibar was signed on Thursday between the Ministry of Education (MoE), central government, IIT-Madras and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) Zanzibar-Tanzania, in the presence of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Zanzibar President Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi.

"This is the first ever IIT campus to be set up outside India. It 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 Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a release.

National Education Policy 2020 is paving the way for making knowledge a key component of bilateral relations as well as for advancing global good, the Union Education Minister added.

Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, the high commissioner of India to Tanzania, Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, dean (Global Engagement), IIT-Madras and Khalid Masoud Wazir, acting principal secretary, MoEVT Zanzibar, signed the MoU on behalf of MoE, Union government, IIT-Madras and MoEVT Zanzibar-Tanzania, respectively.

"National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focuses on Internationalization and recommends that high performing Indian universities will be encouraged to set up campuses in other countries," the release stated.

"Recognizing the strategic partnership between Tanzania and India, the relationship of educational partnership has been formalized by signing the document which provides the framework for the Parties to detail the setting up of the proposed campus of IIT-Madras in Zanzibar- Tanzania, with plans to launch programs in October 2023," it added.

"This unique partnership will bring the top-ranked educational expertise of IITM to a prime destination in Africa and serve the current imperative needs of the region. The academic programs, curricula, student selection aspects and pedagogical details will be by IIT-Madras, whereas the government of Zanzibar-Tanzania will meet the capital and operating expenditure. 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 programs," the official release added.

"The setting up of the 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 worldwide," it stated further.

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 nations, and support research and innovation in the region, the release stated further, adding that it will serve as an example to the world, of the aspirational qualities of Indian higher education and innovation.