Govt May Set Up IIT Campuses in Bhutan and Morocco After Zanzibar, Abu Dhabi New Delhi: After establishing offshore campuses in Tanzania ...
Govt May Set Up IIT Campuses in Bhutan and Morocco After Zanzibar, Abu Dhabi
New Delhi:
After establishing offshore campuses in Tanzania (Zanzibar) and the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi), the Central Government is now considering setting up campuses of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Bhutan and Morocco.
According to sources quoted by news agency PTI, the Centre has received formal requests from both countries to explore the establishment of IIT offshore campuses.
“We have received requests from multiple countries, including Bhutan and Morocco, for setting up IITs’ offshore campuses,” a source said.
Expansion of IITs Abroad
In addition to Tanzania and Abu Dhabi, a third international IIT campus is proposed in West Africa, to be hosted by the Federal Government Academy in Suleja.
To facilitate the expansion of IITs globally, the Centre had earlier constituted a 17-member committee in 2022. The panel was chaired by Dr K Radhakrishnan, Chairperson of the IIT Council Standing Committee. The committee submitted recommendations to support the establishment of IIT campuses abroad, aimed at providing high-quality technical education to students from multiple countries.
Existing Offshore IIT Campuses
IIT Madras – Zanzibar
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Announced in 2023
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Located in Zanzibar, Tanzania
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Began functioning in November 2023 from a temporary campus
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Preeti Aghalyam was appointed Director-in-Charge, becoming the first woman IIT Director
IIT Delhi – Abu Dhabi
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IIT Delhi signed a formal agreement with the UAE government
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Campus inaugurated on September 2, 2024
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Located in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi
Strengthening India’s Global Education Footprint
The proposed campuses in Bhutan and Morocco reflect India’s growing efforts to internationalise its premier technical institutions and strengthen educational diplomacy. These offshore IITs aim to offer world-class engineering and technology education while promoting academic collaboration across countries.
