The university will operate at a global level and offer courses in medicine, engineering, architecture, law and management.
The Rajasthan government is planning to bring home India’s first global university within the next three years. The university will be built on a 300-acre land and envisages an investment of around Rs 3,000-4,000 crore.
A global university is defined as one which has infrastructure of global standards and attracts students from all over the world. The university in Rajasthan will operate at a global level and offer courses in medicine, engineering, architecture, law and management.
“We are still in the negotiation stages with the education minister. We will also talk to American universities in this regard for academic support,” Surat Singh, president All American Universities Alumni Association of India, told Business Standard. Rajasthan’s education minister, Jitendra Singh, could not be reached despite repeated attempts. However, an official from the Rajasthan government confirmed the move.
Singh said big corporate houses have expressed interest in sponsoring the university in Rajasthan. “We have infrastructure and real estate companies expressing interest in supporting us financially. We are in discussions with them already,” he added.
“Rajasthan has been aggressively pursuing the dream to be an education powerhouse. The Rajasthan government has been instrumental in inviting major education groups to the state to set up campuses. This would add hugely to the investments in the state,” said an industry observer.
In 2008-09, Rajasthan attracted investments worth Rs 69,052 crore — the highest among northern states, according to the report, ‘Investment Prospects in Indian Economy 2008-09’ by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham). University of Rajasthan already attracts students from other parts of India and overseas.
Last year the Rajasthan Government invited Manipal University to open a campus in Jaipur. Manipal university will have multiple disciplines, research initiatives and corporate out-reach programmes, as it has on its campus at Manipal. “Our goal is to significantly contribute in building and developing human capital that will serve local and regional industries. The Manipal University Campus here in Jaipur will assist in creating a pool of talented work force to support the long term educational plans of Rajasthan,” Ranjan Pai, CEO, Manipal group had said last year while announcing the initiative.Starting the academic Year 2009, the Manipal university campus in Jaipur aims to grow over the next five years to house over 5,000 plus students in a residential facility.
