Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the first academic block of Sai University and laid the foundation for the second on the main campus at Paiyanur on Tuesday.
The first academic block spans 30,000 sq.ft., while the second will be spread over 2 lakh sq.ft. Over the next 10 years, the university will invest ₹600 crore and have 3,000 students, the university said in a statement. Sai University is promoted by the Sai Education, Medical, Research, and Charitable Trust.
Inaugurating the building, Mr. Stalin said it was due to former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s efforts, the State’s gross enrolment ratio was at 51.4% as against the national average of 27.1%. He also recalled Karunanidhi’s efforts to abolish entrance exams for admission to undergraduate engineering and medical courses, backed by the Supreme Court’s approval.
The Chief Minister requested Sai University and its management to support the State government’s ‘Naan Mudhalvan’ scheme.
K. V. Ramani, founder and chancellor, Sai University, said courses would start on the campus next year. “In another two to three years, students from Southeast Asia will come here to study and a few years thereafter students from America and Europe will come here as our curriculum is of international standard,” he said.
He said the university would fully implement the 69% reservation system, though it is a private university, and select the top three students in each district of Tamil Nadu and provide them with full scholarship, he said.
Sai University founding vice-chancellor Prof. Jamshed Barucha; Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudi; Dr. Mohamed Rela, chairman and director, Dr. Rela Institute and Medical Centre; and Reena Patel, dean of the school of law, Sai University, spoke.
