Darjeeling, June 4: The hills got its first Business Management college with Rockvale Academy, Kalimpong, receiving affiliation from the Sikkim- Manipal Institute of Technology.

Rockvale has decided to name its management college B.B. Pradhan College of Management Studies, after its founder.

Director of Rockvale Prakash Pradhan said at a news conference last evening that the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) courses would start from August .

“We will soon open admissions. We plan to enrol only around 1,000 students this year, though we have the infrastructure for accomodating more. After successful completion of the three-year BBA course they will receive a graduation certificate from the SMIT,” he added.

Faculty members from the “corporate world” from across the country and personality development trainers will also visit the college.

The fees for the course will be Rs 22,000 per annum. The institution has plans to conduct regular study tours to corporate houses and institutes as part of the its curriculum.

The college will, however, not have a hostel.

The Rockvale School does have separate hostels for boys and girls.

Plans to upgrade the college, so that it can offer a Master’s course in Business Administration (MBA) in future, are also in the pipeline.

Though Darjeeling is well known for its quality schools, there had been a long-standing demand for a technical institution. Even the All Gorkha Students’ Union had called strikes on several occasions to protest against the indifferent attitude of the government.

With agitation yielding no result, entrepreneurs had taken it upon themselves to set up a technical institution for the youths of the hills.

Most students from the hills had to move to metros to pursue technical education before the institution was set up.