The 'Oxford of the East' goes West....
Already an important port of call for
international students, with about 20,000 pursuing higher education here, Pune
- known as the 'Oxford of the East' - is set to make its presence felt on
foreign shores, with several local educational institutions setting up shop
abroad.
While
However, even though these institutions have been
looking westwards for a while, the journey has been bumpy for some
universities. For instance, UoP vice-chancellor Narendra Jadhav had declared in
February that the university's
According to the UGC, UoP had restricted
jurisdiction, as it is a state university. They also pointed out that the UGC
is the only recognised authority to deal with when it comes to setting up a
campus abroad. A somewhat incensed Jadhav argued that the UoP had every right
to set up a campus abroad and even sought the intervention of Maharashtra Chief
Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in the matter. The state Government is now pursuing
the matter with the MHRD.
But the issue of starting a UoP campus in Dubai
did not end there and soon became a veritable battlefield, aided in no small
part by Jadhav's strong remarks against private institutes in the city that are
also setting up shop in Dubai. He said it was these institutes that were
raising obstacles in the way of UoP's objective. Incidentally, Bharati
Vidyapeeth and Symbiosis are the only other Pune institutes in the city that
are opening branches in
On the other hand, TASMAC started its
But even as some universities await their turn to
make a mark abroad, Pune itself continues to enjoy its reputation as a global
education hub. Many foreign universities are looking at the city as a potential
resource centre for getting quality students for their postgraduate courses.
Incidentally, The January visit of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to
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