In a big development, India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Education and Knowledge Department of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) for setting up the IIT Delhi campus there.
The IIT Delhi campus in Abu Dhabi will offer Master’s courses from January 2024 and Bachelor’s courses from September next year.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “IIT Delhi’s Abu Dhabi campus to set a template for leveraging the power of knowledge for mutual prosperity and global good”.
The MoU has been signed in the midst of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted, “MoU for establishment of @iitdelhi campus in Abu Dhabi in the presence of Hon. PM @narendramodiji unfolds a new chapter in internationalization of India’s education.”
“An exemplar of #NewIndia’s innovation and expertise, the IIT Delhi campus in UAE will be an edifice of India and UAE friendship. It will set a brand new template for leveraging the power of knowledge for both mutual prosperity and global good as envisioned in NEP,” he added.
The Master’s courses will be offered from January 2024 while the bachelor’s degree will commence from September 2024. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is the second IIT after IIT Madras which will be setting up a campus offshore. Last week IIT Madras signed a MoU to set up a campus in Tanzania’s Zanzibar.
The move is of significant importance as an expansion of the IIT system beyond Indian borders, which will foster educational collaboration and opportunities in the region.
IIT Madras at Zanzibar is all set to commence operations from October 2023 and will initially be admitting 50 undergraduate and 20 master’s students and will be among the three international campuses of IIT along with Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a official visit to UAE were he met with UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday to deepen the multi-faceted bilateral ties and have agreed to start trade settlement in their currencies.
In his remarks, post meeting UAE president PM Modi said that India-UAE trade has witnessed 20 percent increase since signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement last year.
