Today, the IIT Madras Zanzibar campus was virtually opened by Prof. V Kamakoti, the director of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras). The president of Zanzibar, H.E. Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi, was formally inaugurated the campus.
Referring to it as a historic occasion, Prof. V. Kamakoti thanked the Zanzibari and Indian governments for expediting all official procedures in less than six months, which led to the successful establishment of India’s first IIT campus overseas.
“ The basic motivation for the opening of the IIT Madras campus abroad is the rapid internationalisation. Having a campus in a country abroad will bring in a much more diverse culture which will be a real turning point in the IIT system. We are happy that we chose Africa. We need to go to a country where there is a need for an IIT and the country should support us. Zanzibar government did all that was promised and has been very supportive,” said IIT Madras Director Prof V Kamakoti at the hybrid media conference.
According to IIT Madras, classes at the Zanzibar campus began last week. For the two courses—a BS in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and an MTech in the same field—50 students have been chosen.
The Zanzibar government has approved the use of more than 200 acres of prime land for the permanent campus, and the temporary campus where classes are being held is furnished with all the amenities. The director of IIT Madras stated that the Zanzibar government provides all of the money for the facility, including the salaries of the professors.
The selection procedure according to Prof V Kamakoti involved an eligibility test followed by a personal interview and the feedback received said that the students were brilliant. Dedicated faculty for the campus are being recruited and in the coming 5 years, IIT Madras plans to introduce 5 new courses in the Zanzibar campus.
“We requested the public sector banks to treat the Zanzibar campus the same as IIT Madras and hand out loans to students who wish to study there,” said Prof V Kamakoti.
The director in charge of the Zanzibar campus is Preeti Aghalayam, an IIT Madras alumna and the first female director of an IIT. There is a 2-year Mtech programme in data science and artificial intelligence as well as a 4-year Bachelor of Science programme in data science and AI offered on campus.
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Source: HT
