Maharashtra's Savitribai Phule Pune University to set up campus in Doha

Maharashtra's Savitribai Phule Pune University (STPU) and Qatar's Milestone International Education (MIE) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the side lines of FICCI International Higher Education Conference at New Delhi. This MoU will enable the University to set up its campus in Doha and offer courses in arts, science, commerce and liberal arts. The college, which is supported by the Qatar government, will be fully functional from 2020.

The MoU was signed between STPU’s Vice Chancellor Dr Nitin Karmalkar and MIE’s chairman, Ali A. Latif Al Mesned. Qatar’s Ambassador to India, Mohammad Al Khater, Qatar's Ministry of Education Under-Secretary Dr Ibrahim Al Nuaimi and other ministry representatives were also present at the event.

MIE executive committee president Hassan Chougule called it a big achievement for the DPS MIS Group, Qatar. Chougule said, “In association with Mohammed Bin Hammam and Ali A. Latif Al Mesned, we can provide pre-KG to college degrees now. This is a complete educational solution to all parents and residents of Qatar and the Indian community in particular.”

There are around 8 million Indian diaspora in the Gulf region. Indian families would often send children back to their home country for higher education due to the absence of an Indian university’s campus in the country. With this MoU in place, Indian parents can offer affordable and high quality higher education, MIE officials stated.

Ken Research estimates that Qatar’s education market will reach $2.8 billion by 2023. The Qatar government has been investing heavily in the education sector to make its economy self-reliant.

This has resulted in entry of many private and public education institutions in the Gulf nation as the country’s denizens demand quality education. These include international schools like DPS Modern Indian School, The Phoenix Private School, Doha British School, Park House English School and GEMS American Academy Qatar. Other institutions are waiting in the wings to make their foray, especially in light of the Qatar Ministry underlining an international curriculum with emphasis on students learning English as the primary language. The Qatar Education System has also introduced online education sessions through e-learning portals, which has encouraged greater participation of students enrolling for the education in the country.

This is a partnered post.