DU signs MoU with University of Ladakh for academic collaboration

Delhi University (DU) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Ladakh for a period of five years for “scientific and academic collaboration”.

The MoU was signed between DU vice-chancellor P C Joshi and University of Ladakh vice-chancellor C Phunsog, with the registrars of two the universities, Vikas Gupta and Imteeaz Kachor respectively, present as witnesses.

“The University of Delhi is keen to share its knowledge with other relatively younger universities of this country in order to play the role of a catalyst in their transformation and growth. The varied points of divergence between the two universities, right from its geographical set up to its socio-cultural milieu, shall make way for a productive environment of innovative thinking as well as learning,” dean (academic activities and projects) K Ratnabali said in a statement.

She added that the MoU is “in line with Clause 10.6 of the National Education Policy 2020”, which envisaged the “responsibility of a higher educational institute (HEI) to support other HEIs in their development, community engagement and service, contribution to various fields of practice, faculty development etc.”

“The timing of collaboration is also ripe, given the fact that the Centre is taking steps to promote the growth of the University of Ladakh with an aim to develop and empower the people of the region through education, keeping in view its strategic location and present geopolitical situation,” she said, while adding that digitalization will enable both universities to “transact knowledge in real-time”.

The specific objectives of the collaboration include the exchange of faculty/staff and students, and “providing hands-on experience to students of Ladakh to various advanced technologies available in various wings of DU to expand their knowledge horizon”.

The MoU will also “encourage” and “facilitate” inter-university student and faculty visits to “enable learning through academic interactions and programmes on both offline and online modes”.

“Organisation of cultural exchange programmes and sports activities in both institutions”, “sharing of library resources and providing access to laboratory facilities”, “organising joint PhD programmes”, “organising joint post-graduate courses under the Meta University programme” and holding “seminars, conferences and academic workshops on topics of mutual interests” are some of the objectives of the MoU.