'Inspired by Nature and Driven by Innovation and Simplicity'

Sonam Wangchuk is a mechanical engineer turned education reformer from Ladakh. His achievements as an innovator and reformer span the areas of education, environment, and energy. His work has won him widespread acclaim both in India and different parts of the world. Sonam’s capacity to motivate people and bring about fundamental changes is what marks him as a unique personality. Here, he is in an exclusive conversation with Abhas Mukherjee for TerraGreen.

- Abhas Mukherjee

You are a source of inspiration for us all. Could you please share what motivated you to turn into an education reformer from a mechanical engineer?

I was deeply moved by the problems that the school students of Ladakh had to face due to the faulty education system prevalent there. I mean if you try to teach them ‘F for fan’ on the high altitudes and cold climate of Ladakh, it does not really make sense. So, I thought that rather the students failing in their exams, it is the faulty system that fails them. This motivated me to work for the students of Ladakh and turn into an education reformer.

Being the Founding Director of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), isn’t it extremely heartening for you to note that the pass percentage at 10th grade (matriculation) in Ladakh has risen from a dismal 5 per cent to 55 per cent in seven years and is 75 per cent now? What has been your mantra behind this fascinating transformation?

Yes, it feels very satisfying to work for the betterment of these students. We knew that they were bright enough to succeed in academics. We had belief in their abilities but perhaps the system needed to be changed or modified according to their requirements. First of all, we worked in the direction of making education the topmost priority of the government. There was a huge demand for quality education in Ladakh, and we wanted to help the government deliver it. We conducted massive teacher training programmes in Ladakh, revamped all the textbooks to suit the requirements of the local students and also got it approved by the bureaucracy.

At SECMOL Alternative School Campus near Leh, the admission criteria is ‘failure in exams and not grades’. How do you recognize the strengths in these students and make sure that they eventually excel in their chosen fields?