After IIT, TISS plans a campus abroad

Mumbai: The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) announced on Wednesday that it plans to establish new campuses both within India and abroad, and foster strategic collaborations with foreign universities.

The TISS’s decision comes on the heels of the announcement by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, that it was setting up an IIT campus in Tanzania. “Our team recently visited Bhutan and engaged in fruitful conversations with their government,” said pro vice chancellor Bino Paul. He added that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations too had also shown interest in developing a TISS campaign on their soil.

These expansion plans, said Shalini Bharat, vice-chancellor of TISS deemed university, are part of the New Education Policy (NEP) implementation which will include introducing innovative courses in social sciences.

Most recently, TISS signed an agreement with Monash University in Australia and Queen Mary University in London for a students’ exchange programme. “Our greater vision is to accommodate the demands of the NEP and introduce cutting-edge courses in social sciences. We also plan to expand our campuses within the country,” he said.

The TISS has four campuses in Mumbai and Tuljapur in Maharashtra, and two others at Hyderabad and Guwahati with a total student strength of 8000. While land, he acknowledged, was a problem in Mumbai, it wasn’t the case in their other campuses. “Our focus is to then expand these other campuses,” Paul said while addressing the media during the launch of the NEP-compliant Skill Education and Innovative Teachers Education Program.

One of the premier social sciences institutions in India, TISS offers four undergraduate programs, including BA in Social Sciences and BSc Analytical and System Studies. “This year we received an overwhelming 18,000 to 22,000 applications for just 30 available seats,” said Paul.

During the launch of the new courses at the School of Vocational Education (TISS-SVE), Professor Madhushree Sekhar, the dean of TISS-SVE, said, “We are delighted to introduce the NEP-compliant skill education program. Admissions for this course will commence from the academic year 2023-24, marking a fresh start for students pursuing skill education and teachers training at TISS.”