Sonam Wangchuk, the founder of the Student’s Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), has been made a member of the governing council of the
newly-established Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB).
The state education department aims to utilise his inputs to formulate a curriculum that provides a blend of academic knowledge and life skills to students.
Mr Wangchuk first came into the spotlight in 2009, when Aamir Khan played Phunsukh Wangdu, a character inspired by him, in the movie 3 Idiots.
Students at Mr Wangchuk’s SECMOL School are exposed to holistic learning that is focussed on grooming them to become responsible citizens capable of overcoming the challenges they encounter in the real world. The curriculum is designed in such a way that all the knowledge and skills acquired by students are self-learned.
“Rather than book-based study, I advocate experiential learning. We want our students to not only be bright, but also skilled and compassionate,” explained Mr Wangchuk, speaking to The Asian Age. When asked how he planned to include these features in the MIEB curriculum, he said, “The curriculum is still being developed. We will give students a wide choice of subjects, and hands-on training to boost their skills. We will include activity-based learning through various workshops.”
Mr Wangchuk’s SECMOL School not only has a unique curriculum but also a one-of-a-kind campus that runs entirely on solar energy. Education and tradition go hand in hand, and a sense of culture is instilled in students in the form of traditional dances, music, and Ladakhi cuisine.
The MIEB curriculum will be adopted by 13 zilla parishad schools in the state from June 15 onwards.
Specialities of the SECMOL School
Special language classes are conducted every day
Every child has chores assigned to him/her on a bi-monthly basis
A status report on how they handle their responsibilities is presented every month
The school building is constructed almost entirely out of clay and mud, with small pieces of wood added for insulation
The campus has over 1,000 trees, vegetable gardens, greenhouses and cows. The students are responsible for the maintenance of all of these.
SECMOL’s Phey Campus runs entirely on solar energy
