New IT university on the anvil for underprivileged students

NEW DELHI: Aiming to bridge the worldwide supply-demand gap of computer science professionals, Sitare Foundation, a bootstrapped pan-India educational NGO, has announced the setting up of Sitare University, which will provide underprivileged students free world-class computer science undergraduate education.

The university has been envisioned by some of the most prominent leaders from the Silicon Valley, top American and European universities, industry leaders, and venture capitalists in an attempt to ensure that the brightest minds in India get an opportunity to study computer science, and become global technology leaders, a statement issued by the NGO said.

The University’s curriculum will be spearheaded by renowned names from the academia and industry stalwarts, including Vishal Sikka, Founder Vianai and Former CEO of Infosys; Mehran Sahami, James and Ellenor Chesebrough Professor, Stanford University; Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder and CEO of Paytm; Joseph C. Ford Professor of Engineering, Department of Computer Science, Cornell University; and many other. 

The university will initially start operations from Bhopal-based Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) premises in the current academic year. 

As part of this MoU, RGVP will provide the required infrastructure and the curriculum, academics, and faculty will be taken care of by the foundation. 

The university will offer a four-year Bachelor of Technology in computer science alongside five specialised majors, covering multiple new-age technologies such as AI, Human-Computer Interactions, Blockchain Technologies, Computer Security etc. 

“The world is facing a severe shortage of high-quality computer scientists. India has a large population of very bright underprivileged children who do not reach their full potential due to lack of educational resources,” said Amit Singhal, Founder of Sitare Foundation and Sitare University.