Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, May 16: In a landmark step towards strengthening higher and technical education in Ladakh, IIT Jammu will set up its Satellite Campus in Leh.
In this regard a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today between the UT Administration of Ladakh and IIT Jammu in the presence of Lieutenant Governor, Vinai Kumar Saxena, who described the initiative as a “historic and transformational moment” for the youth of Ladakh and said this would create pathways for aspiration, excellence and achievement.
The MoU was signed by Director, IIT Jammu, Prof Manoj Singh Gaur and Secretary, Higher Education Department, UT Ladakh, Bhanu Prabha.
The development assumes great significance, as for decades, students from Ladakh faced grave challenges in pursuing higher and technical education. For want of a quality technical institution in Ladakh, Ladakhi youths were forced to travel thousands of kilometres, away from home, to study in prestigious institutions.
This collaboration with IIT Jammu would now provide talented students from Ladakh with access to high-quality education closer to their home and open a world of opportunities in research, innovation, entrepreneurship and employment.
As per the MoU, in the initial phase, around 40 students from Ladakh will begin pursuing courses at the IIT campus in Jammu from the July – August 2026 academic session onwards.
Subsequently, a temporary Satellite Campus of IIT Jammu will be established at the Government Polytechnic College in Leh to facilitate academic activities within Ladakh. In the long term, a full-fledged residential engineering campus is proposed to be developed in Kargil.
Speaking on the occasion, LG Saxena stated that the collaboration would open the doors of world-class technical education for students from the remote and high-altitude regions of Ladakh and reduce the long-standing educational challenges faced by local families.
He noted that the collaboration would create opportunities for faculty exchange, research partnerships, startup incubation, innovation centres and skill development.
Saxena expressed gratitude to IIT Jammu for extending its academic excellence and vision to Ladakh and thanked the Government of India for continuously supporting transformative initiatives for border and remote regions.
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