In a historic milestone for Indian education, the first-ever IIT-Madras campus abroad was inaugurated in Zanzibar on Monday, underlining the Indian government’s commitment to projecting the nation’s education system globally. Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar, led the inauguration ceremony, attended by esteemed Tanzanian and Indian officials and academics. Zanzibar, a captivating archipelago nestled in the Indian Ocean off Tanzania’s coast, proudly welcomed the pioneering venture as a significant step toward fostering educational excellence on an international scale.
Located in the Bweleo district, a short distance from Zanzibar Town, the IIT-Madras campus serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of knowledge and innovation that transcends geographical boundaries. With plans in place for an additional permanent campus, jointly constructed by the Indian and Zanzibar governments, the new establishment underscores the collaborative efforts to advance education in emerging domains. The campus will offer specialized programs in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, with a diverse inaugural batch comprising students from Zanzibar, mainland Tanzania, Nepal, and India, of which 40 percent are women.
V Kamakoti, Director of IIT-Madras, hailed the new campus as a symbol of progressive academic evolution, fostering an environment conducive to borderless learning. A virtual presence at the inauguration, he emphasized the campus’s potential to serve as a beacon of intellectual growth. Preeti Aghalayam, Dean of the School of Engineering and Science and Director-in-Charge of the Zanzibar campus, expressed profound pride in extending IIT-Madras’s legacy of academic excellence to the heart of Zanzibar.
Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean of Global Engagement at IIT-Madras, expressed optimism that the campus would emerge as a prominent educational institution in Africa, facilitating cross-cultural academic collaborations, internships, and study abroad programs. With a focus on maintaining the institution’s rigorous academic standards abroad, the selection process for students at the Zanzibar campus remains stringent, overseen by IIT-Madras’ Office of Global Engagement. The choice of Zanzibar as the campus’s location reflects its historical significance as a bustling trade hub and its aspirations to become a global business center.
The new campus, equipped with residential facilities, dining amenities, a dispensary, and plans for comprehensive sports infrastructure, aims to meet the academic challenges in a phased approach, combining the expertise of faculty from India and trained local educators. As it embarks on its educational journey, the IIT-Madras Zanzibar campus stands poised to uphold the distinguished legacy of excellence, fostering academic and cultural exchanges across continents.
