About
The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) was founded in 1988 by a group of Ladakhi college students who felt that the education system needed great change. For many years, SECMOL worked on reforming the government school system. At the same time, SECMOL Campus grew into a eco-village where students, staff and volunteers live, work and learn together. It’s not a conventional school, but a place to pursue practical, environmental, social and traditional knowledge, values and skills. The Campus is solar powered and solar heated; students learn ancient Ladakhi songs, dance and history alongside modern academic knowledge; and the students mainly manage, run and maintain the campus.
Ladakh is a high desert region in the Indian Himalayas, with a culture and history drawing from Tibet, India, Kashmir and Central Asia. No road connected it to the outside world until the 1960s, but recent decades have brought a flood of development and tourism. SECMOL strives to equip young Ladakhis and others growing up in Ladakh, especially those from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds, with the knowledge, skills, perspective, and confidence to choose and build a sustainable future.