Students and youths based in Darjeeling hills and in the adjoining plains have demanded introduction of new courses at the Darjeeling Hill University (DHU), while pointing that such courses would help them get employment opportunities at the local.

According to them, subjects like tea science, tea and tourism, natural resources and sustainable development, hospitality management, data science and business analytics, fashion, and microbial science should be introduced at the varsity.

“We want full-time postgraduate degree courses as well as vocational courses on these subjects. These courses can help us find a job in this region,” said Nitin Lama, an undergraduate student from Kurseong.

As of now, postgraduate courses in English, political science, Nepali, history, mass communication, and mathematics are available at the varsity.

Rima Chhetri, another student from Darjeeling who is pursuing an undergraduate course in Chemistry, said: “It is disappointing to see that PG courses are not available in any science subject at DHU. Unless more courses are introduced, it would mean all the same for us as we have to descend to Siliguri and get enrolled in North Bengal University for a PG course in the core science subjects.”

Some other students said the varsity authorities should also consider the proposal to introduce management courses.

“There is a steady demand for MBA or similar management courses in the hills and also in plains. A considerable section of students move out of the region every year to pursue these courses,” said Amrita Dutta, an undergraduate student from Siliguri.

The DHU campus is coming up at Mungpoo, around 30km from Darjeeling and around 50km from Siliguri. As of now, classes are being held at the Industrial Training Institute of the little hilly hamlet.

“We could not introduce new subjects at the varsity as the building is not ready. Also, the recruitment of faculty members has not yet been completed,” said Pranab Ghosh, the registrar of North Bengal University and a spokesperson of the hill varsity.

“We have plans to introduce MBA and degree and diploma courses in tea science and tourism. But we have to wait unless the infrastructure is ready,” he added.