The Ladakh administration and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for establishing the institute’s satellite campus at Leh to expand access to quality management education for students in the Union Territory.The MoU was signed in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, officials said.The satellite campus will offer a four-year BBA (Honours) programme with an initial intake of 60 students. The programme is scheduled to commence in October, officials said.The infrastructure for the campus has been established within two months of the initiative being taken up by the Ladakh Administration and IIM Jammu.The proposed programme has received an encouraging response, with around 600 candidates expressing interest for the 60 seats, officials said.Saxena said the establishment of the satellite campus marked a significant step in the higher education system of Ladakh and would open new avenues for the region’s youth in knowledge, innovation, entrepreneurship and professional development.For years, students from Ladakh aspiring to pursue quality management and professional education have had to move outside the Union Territory, incurring expenses on travel, accommodation, food, books and other necessities, he said.The lieutenant governor said bringing quality management education closer to students in Ladakh would help reduce such barriers and enable more young people to pursue higher education without having to move outside the Union Territory.He said the campus would also contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s vision of a Viksit Bharat.Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, Chairman of the IIM Jammu Board of Governors Milind Kamble, IIM Jammu Director B S Sahay, Secretary Higher Education Bhanu Prabha and senior officials of the UT Administration and IIM Jammu were present on the occasion.
