Speaking to TOI, vice-chancellor of the Solapur University, B.P. Pendkar said the tie-up was aimed at providing new opportunities to students studying in Solapur and its nearby areas, which have less resources as compared to Pune and Mumbai.

The Solapur University and the C-DAC officials will be meeting on May 12 to finalise the courses, curriculum and format. "At present, we plan to introduce a three month, six month and one year course for students, of which the one-year course will be for post-graduate students only," Pendkar said.

He added, "Many students from the university and affiliated colleges will be using computers for the first time and we have to take that into consideration while designing the course and its curriculum". These courses will be introduced in 10 colleges, one from each taluka in Solapur district, in the first phase.

The specially designed courses will focus on emerging opportunities and will not be mandatory or part of the university curriculum, but will be optional for the students, Pendkar stated.
Shridhar Dixit, director of C-DAC, Pune, said, "Along with the course, the centre will also provide study material, IT-skill sets and books to the Solapur University. After finalising the course and its curriculum, C-DAC will train the university teachers and others who can visit and teach the course to the students. But the implementation of the course will be decided by the varsity." C-DAC is not involved in any monetary aid, he added.