Indian University opening branch campus in RAK
Feb 07, 2009
Source: The National

One of India’s top state universities has announced it will establish a campus in Ras al Khaimah, becoming the first such university to set up a facility outside India.

The University of Pune said it would start offering Indian-accredited degree programmes this year.

University officials sealed the project yesterday at a function at Al Dhet Palace attended by Sheikh Saud bin Saqr, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of RAK, and the Indian consul general, Venu Rajamony.

“We are happy to host Pune University in RAK as this is an important step toward achieving our vision for the emirate becoming an attraction point for the world’s top establishments in higher education,” said Sheikh Saud, according to a report by WAM, the government news agency.

The University of Pune, formerly known as the University of Poona, has a five-star rating, the highest grade awarded by the independent National Assessment and Accreditation Council of India. It has 170,000 undergraduate and graduate students at its main campus, and boasts the highest number of international students among higher education institutions in India.

The RAK campus will offer undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate courses and is already accepting applications for the opening in March.

“The University of Pune is well known in India and globally,” said Dr Narendra Jadhav, the university’s vice chancellor. “The university will bring a distinct advantage with its traditions of excellence. This is also the first time where the university will be directly teaching all programmes at the branch campus.”

Its flagship two-year, full-time MBA programme will start in September 2009, along with degrees in sciences, management, engineering commerce and pharmacy.

Evening and weekend classes will also be offered.

Misho Ravic, the chief executive of Edulink, a Dubai-based consultancy firm that helped bring the university to RAK, said: “The university’s entry into the UAE, specifically in Ras al Khaimah, will help boost the education sector in the country, and ultimately the economy by producing competent and skilled individuals.”