As Indian educational institutions expand overseas, Thursday (September 11)saw the opening of IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA) campus in Dubai. Jointly inauguratedby Dubai crown prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and India’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, this is the first-ever overseas campus of the IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA).

The Indian education minister said, “We have to internationalise education system in India. India is a vibrant economy today. Our fundamentals are very positive.” The opening of themanagement institute comes two years after IIT Delhi opened its campus in Abu Dhabi. Five private Indianeducational institutions have opened campuses in the prosperous Gulf state. India’s National educationalpolicy 2020 encourages top Indian institutions to set up campuses abroad to enhance India’s global academic influence and promote its educational model, whichaligns with the goal of making India a global education hub. The increased educational institution connection is expected to help the large Indian diaspora in the country.

Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan is on a 2 day visit to the United Arab Emirates. During the visit, he went to IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi Campus and launched BTech and PhD programs in chemical engineering and energy and sustainability. He also inaugurated Atal Incubation Centre,which aims to foster entrepreneurship and innovation.

India, UAE are working on joint research in critical and emerging areas, capacity building, two-way cultural and academic exchanges, something that was part of talks between Minister Pradhan and UAE’s Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar.