The ill-will between
the government and NGO is not a new issue. We have number of cases regarding
these issues all over India despite a good repo shared between these agents. The
same with the case of one of the isolated place known as Ladakh recently became
popularly after the block buster movie 3 Idiots. The popular character Phuntsog
Wangdu played by lead actor Amir Khan was inspired from the story of Mr. Sonam
Wangchuk (SECMOL). Who was honored and awarded with: - The real hero of Ladakh Kaa Sonam Wangchuk, who has been awarded:
- Man of the Year' by The Week, in 2001
- Nominated to the Governing Council for the National Mission for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India in 2004
- Awarded Ashoka Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship in 2002 by the Ashoka Foundations USA.
- Awarded Governors Medal for Education reforms in Jammu & Kashmir in 1996
- Awarded Green Teachers Award by the magazine 'Sanctuary Asia' in 2004
- Selected for the 'Asia 21 young Leaders' Summit Seoul, Korea in 2006
- Two documentary films made on his life and work by Doordarshan (PSBT) and ETV.
Apart from
these, Tehelka (hailed as one of the best sources of news by the London based
newspaper, The Guardian) hailed SECMOL's work as a model for public education
system in India. Renowned magazines like Cultural Survival, Down to Earth, Outlook,
The week and Sanctuary Asia have hailed the work done by SECMOL from time to
time.
It was way back
in 1988, Kaa Sonam Wangchok and several students founded SECMOL after their
return home from other parts of India. He has completed his degree in
mechanical engineering from a university in Srinagar. Instead of joining
lucrative job like engineer he has opted to run an NGO called Student
Educational Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL). While running a coaching for
the students for their 10th class exam he came to realize the
dysfunction of the educational system of Ladakh. Then SECMOL had bravely begun
to address the dysfunction of educational system of Ladakh which Kaa Wangchok
had experienced first hand in his own youth.
In these span of
20 years SECMOL has done tremendous task in the educational sector, for this
purpose SECMOL launched Operation New Hope
(ONH), in 1994 to renovate the primary education system in the Government
schools in Ladakh. This tried to tackle the very roots of the problem of
educational failure and to reform the education system, especially in remote
villages. The ONH movement had three arms working together: the Government, the
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and the village communities. Its main
objectives were to organize the village communities for active handy
participation in the running of schools through the formation of Village
Education Committees (VECs). To train teachers in creative, child-centered, and
activity-based teaching methods in order to make schooling less painful and
more joyful for children. To use the above factors to revive the interest,
strengthen the confidence, and enhance the dedication of Government school
teachers.
A team of local
government school teachers, SECMOL staff and experts from other parts of India,
developed materials including textbooks, storybooks, games and charts. Eleven
textbooks and four supplementary bilingual Ladakhi/English storybooks have been
produced, along with a set of pre-primary material and many posters. The
textbooks are now the standard syllabus in government schools across Leh
District.
The books
produced under ONH have simpler English than the previous textbooks, which came
from Delhi, and were meant for children living in tropical India. Although
mother-tongue subject textbooks are not yet a viable option for several
political and cultural reasons, at least children should learn the necessary
foreign language through familiar images. All these books depict Ladakhi
children, culture and environment that students can identify with, and retain
their confidence and interest.
SECMOL
has built a solar heated residential school in Changthang in September 2001.
This Government High school solves many problems faced by the people in these
remote villages after primary school. Changthang had middle and high schools
that were too small to function properly. This school combines their resources
and provides board and lodging at no cost for students. A mark of its success
is that the Government decided to make similar residential high schools in
other far-flung parts of Ladakh. Another mark of its success is that by 2008
the enrolment and retention of children in Changthang had increased so much
beyond expectations. Now this school is a higher secondary school.
In a brief these were the
contribution made by SECMOL headed by Kaa Wangchuk in the span of twenty years,
during which he had to face many problems and hindrances. But it was in the
2007 Deputy Commissioner of Leh dist. Mr. Dwivedi after a year long struggle with
NGOs he suddenly set false allegations against SECMOL director Kaa Sonam Wangchuk.
DC accused Kaa Wangchuk as ‘anti-national connections
in China,' land-grabbing that he is under illegal occupation of 200 kanals of
state land at Phey and was asked to deposit a premium of Rs. 80 lakhs for the
land into government treasury and violation of FCRA norms. Which forced him to quite him work.
But when this was informed to the
local masses some of them come out in protest, but they were prevent from protest
to support Kaa Wangchuk in any other way. When SECMOL made a video CD to clear
the whole story and sent it out to all the villages. While DC came to knew that
the public were to protest against it, he imposed ‘section 144’ to stop the
protest. It is really strange that such sections are only imposed during the
time of communal riot or in a tricky situation. But the question is why at that
time???
The man who has been working whole
his life for the welfare of people of Ladakh has been
fighting against the corrupt and inefficient system for the past 20 years, but why
we were reluctant to support him it is highly unfortunate for the people of Leh
that our representatives were silent over this crisis, when they were holding
positions in LAHDC at Leh. Activities of SECMOL were not suspicious but now
suddenly, SECMOL has been kept under surveillance. It is really strange that once
August 15, 2005: Chairman of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council
(LAHDC),Leh Rigzin Spalbar appreciates contribution of Sonam Wangchuk in
drafting the vision document titled “Ladakh 2025, a roadmap for progress and
prosperity”. August 12, 2005: Chairman of Ladakh Autonomous Hill
Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie invites Director
of SECMOL Sonam Wangchuk to help them in streamlining the education system in
Kargil. LAHDC always worked hand in hand with SECMOL which ever government in
power. Ladakhi ministers and bureaucrats need to awaken their conscience which
has gone into slumber due to political compulsions or due to bureaucratic
acquaintance.
Having reaped
fruits of Wangchuk’s work, politicians are now reluctant to come forward in his
support. Although, unofficially they say that Kaa Wangchuk is a man of
commanding determination and has all the qualities of being rated as one of the
greats of 21st
century but officially, they hesitate from questioning the
district administration at Leh over this issue.
The rural masses
were ready to support Kaa Wangchuk in any way but there were not even a single
leader to lead them, it was peculiar that local leaders were silent on this
issue. There must be some big reason, but who knows?????
What we need to
do, is to question our leaders. People must know the true reason.
Suppose the same
allegation was put against our profile political leaders or any? Than what
would happen? I guess each and every one could understand!!!!!!!!!
Kaa Wangchuk is
a social activist who works for Ladakh as a whole irrespective of religion,
caste, and region so on. I think he is the only person who is appreciated by
all Ladakhi’s except some profit motive people. Still it is time to awake the
masses of Ladakh that we need to take some constructive steps, that our so
called leaders who used to speak very high of SECMOL and Kaa Sonam Wangchuk
have gone deaf and blind in the hours of his crisis. It appears now that the
contribution of the man and his organization has become totally irrelevant for
them because someone in authorities has called him 'anti-national'.
Unfortunately, the leaders are too much conscious of their political equations,
powers and privileges that they have preferred to be mute spectators to the
forced end of an era of education reform in Ladakh. Education, which is an
issue of great significance for the common masses, has no priority in their
scheme of things. What they prioritize is their vote bank politics with the
help of every possible means-communal clashes, agitations etc.
‘Better too late
than never’ Silence on this issue means suppress our voices. It was the best
example that how the powerful officers oppress the powerless people can be seen
from the way the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL)
had to face the wrath of authorities. We didn’t raise our voices at that time
even after a long gap period of five years since 2007 nothing much has been
changed so far. He is a for the youth community of Ladakh and they tried at
their level to call him back to Ladakh and to work again in the educational
sector of Ladakh. We are always with you Ka Sonam Wangchuk……….
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