PM Modi Inaugurates University of Ladakh, First University in the Region
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the first university in Ladakh region, i.e., the University of Ladakh on February 03, 2019. The university will be a cluster university and will cover five colleges of Kargil and Leh districts.
Prime Minister of India, Shri. Narendra Modi inaugurated the first university in the Ladakh region, i.e., the University of Ladakh. After the inaugural ceremony, PM Modi said that the University of Ladakh would be a cluster university for colleges (degree) located in Khaltsi, Drass, Zanskar, Nubra, Kargil and Leh.
Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir has got its first University as the State Administrative Council (SAC) led by the Governor Satya Pal Malik has passed the approval.
The university will be a cluster university and it will cover five colleges of Kargil and Leh districts. As per a release that was issued, the university is expected to get Rs.65 crore from the Indian government as an academic grant for the next academic session. The people there had been demanding a university to be set up since long and even though Kashmir University has a Ladakh campus, it is not functional.
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There are also plans to have an innovative university in Ladakh by the renowned educationist, Sonam Wangchuk. He is looking at setting up a skill-based university and the cost for that is roughly going to be Rs.800 crore. Wangchuk has already set up SECMOL (The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh). It is a non-traditional school for educational reforms and it also helped increase the number of students clearing exams till the intermediate level.
Wangchuk had mentioned that he is looking forward to setting up Himalayan Institute of Alternatives in Ladakh, over 200 acres in Phyang valley for which he has already been allotted land. The university will have two models of education, one will be the non-degree and skill-based programme and the other one will be a recognized course.
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The university will pay the students of the skill-based courses and teachers can be from any fields such as business, tourism or agriculture. They need to have practical knowledge and not just a degree with good marks. Wangchuk mentioned that he is in talks with the Jammu and Kashmir government regarding the university and for certification.
The total population of Ladakh is 2.74 lakh in two districts-Leh and Kargil. Leh has an average literacy of 77.20 per cent while Kargil has an average literacy of 71.34 per cent.