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The Students’ Education and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) has worked for reforms in the education system in Ladakh since the 1990s. Ladakhi culture in the education curriculum prior to SECMOL’s agitation was, if not actively discouraged, institutionally neglected. Classes were taught only in Hindi and Urdu with culturally irrelevant textbooks. Further, the teachers who were primarily from the plains of India (i.e. south of the Himalaya) or Jammu & Kashmir proper were not invested in Ladakhi communities due to commitments of merely two years to the duty post. I’m told this system still exists, however, there are more native Ladakhi teachers and some Tibetan settlers have found employment in private schools (Tibetans are barred from holding any government position).
Therefore, in order to ensure a dignified Ladakhi cultural identity and help Ladakhi youth become more successful in education with better opportunities, SECMOL set out to generate educational reforms that respect the integrity of Ladakhis. A major indicator of the success of these reforms is the elevation of passing rates within a decade and a for grade 10 exams - from 5% before reforms to a current rate of 55%.
SECMOL’s approach to reforms is different than Tarayana’s. Whereas
Tarayana endeavors to catch those who fall through the government’s cracks, SECMOL sets up a pilot program. If or when the program becomes popular, often the grassroots constituency of affected villagers and citizens lobby the government to adopt and fund the program to ensure its sustainability. Fortunately, the government is often responsive to these requests.
It’s hard to believe that I‘ve been in Ladakh now for almost a month. It reflects the timeless quality of this life crevassed amongst the Himalaya. The combination of high peaks covered in ice and the vast valley deserts largely devoid of perceptible vegetation contribute to my understanding of my small self amongst this greatness. The stars are vaster. Everything is less immediate. Everything is held together by the persistent Indus River and its tributaries that are the fluid continuity of the glaciers. Ironically, the harsh cold of the Himalaya contributes to the existence of life here. Without the storage of water high in the mountains, this desert would support no life. The balance is fragile and it’s changing - environmentally and culturally.
In the mid 70s - around the same time that Bhutan was opening to the world and Sikkim was amidst
a too rapid democratization - Ladakh came out from under the post wartime with China. It was a hidden Buddhist community on the margins disputed between India and China, culturally tied to Tibet yet politically allied to India. However, Ladakh is a unique culture rooted in Buddhism, yet influenced by Islam. It’s been traditionally a religiously and culturally tolerant society at a high crossroads of merchant trails. The emergence of 20th century nationalism didn’t change this on the ground, but the disputes of states carved up the geography. However, these borders are only held together by the massive militarization of the region. Only muscles and steel divide people more similar to each other than they are to their nation-states.
I flew into all this after months in culturally similar Bhutan and a circumambulation of the Indian plains. I landed at the SECMOL campus near Phey village about 20 KMs to the west of Leh. The SECMOL campus is a post-modern facility that runs off adequate solar electricity, but exists in a rural state. Farming, although small scale is generated along with probably the best library in Ladakh and several computers that provide the latest word processing and graphic design
programs and spotty dial-up Internet connections. Food is cooked communally with the help of two large solar cooker mirrors (if there aren’t too many people).
A few days after I arrived, I came down with some nasty intestinal thing that turned me green and feverish. However, with the help of some anti-biotics I was re-energized and ready for the first of two 15-day student camps. This first camp attracted nearly 100 students from government and private schools around the Leh district. The camps are provided by SECMOL at a nominal cost to the students and are designed to supplement their education after they take the grade 10 exams while they wait for the results. It’s an opportunity to increase English comprehension, learn more about Ladakhi history and culture, build social confidence, and meet students from other schools.
There was also a group of students in a program called foundation year. They came to the campus last summer after the student camps and continued to build social and practical skills in language and culture. These students in conjunction with a handful of college level students basically run the campus in democratically elected rotating duties.
My primary volunteer duties
at the camp were to help with the English conversation classes. A handful of other foreign volunteers and I led the students through rudimentary conversations for about 45 minutes a day. Many of the students were quite shy and especially so when they huddled with their friends. We found that when separated most of the students would do just fine and often most of the shyest would have some of the best pronunciation. I asked one group of students why so many of the students were shy. One of the more adept speakers piped up and informed that it is probably due to hormones, reminding me that these were 16 year olds.
Other than the language classes I helped by installing virus detection software and editing an occasional English document. At the Phey campus I didn’t feel too useful and a little out of my element. Though I appreciated the quietness and the location, I was out of my age group. I wanted to be somewhere that not only has people my age, but a diverse range of ages. It was mostly a youth culture averaging below 25. A couple of the volunteers were around my age. Though there
was potential for me to work on a grant proposal at the campus, I realized I could be more effective volunteering with the Leh SECMOL office.
SECMOL runs a multi-media resource at the Leh office with an audio-recording studio, video production lab, and graphics design stations. Obviously I am more in my element volunteering in Leh. Also, SECMOL is restructuring after some shaking up in the last couple years, so I can help with administrative organization, developing projects, and seeking out and writing grants.
SECMOL was set up to bring reforms to the education system in Ladakh, and the previous director was frustrated with the pace of meaningful transformations. Subsequently, the district level government became resistant to SECMOL’s work. Therefore, the conflict came to a head and SECMOL’s radio programs as well as mention of their projects was banned from the state radio station and government media. The former director left SECMOL for a consultancy position with an international NGO. Later, this former director was awarded a prestigious award as an “Everyday Hero” in India. All over Ladakh SECMOL was congratulated in public by friends and opponents, restoring a little of SECMOL’s once considerable prestige as a reformation
organization. However, SECMOL’s influence is still diminished.
Quite honestly, I haven’t been certain about relating to Ladakh. I’ve had thoughts about returning to Bhutan this summer to revisit and pick up missed opportunities. However, my new life in Leh feels closer to my path and I’m settling in. There’s still much of Ladakh I have yet to see and experience. Increasingly I am connecting here, though it doesn’t feel as comfortable and integrated as my time in Bhutan.
Julay friends and enjoy where you’re at. Until next time.
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scot
non-member comment
hello
tell that beautiful land JULAY! for me, I hope you are well, smiles from the ham Scot