‘3 idiots’ fame school may soon get CBSE affiliation after over two decades since inception
More than two decades after its founding, the Druk Padma Karpo School in Ladakh, popularly known as ‘Rancho’s school’, may be getting the much-anticipated CBSE membership this year as it received approval from the board of Jammu and Kashmir after a long delay. .
According to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation standards, schools require a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the appropriate state administration.
The foreign schools require a similar document from the concerned embassy or consulate of India in the respective country.
The school that rose to fame after being featured in the 2009 Aamir Khan starrer film “3 Idiots” is currently affiliated with Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE).
“We’ve been trying to affiliate our school with the CBSE for years,” school principal Mingur Agmo told PTI.
“While we have all the required infrastructure, achieve excellent results and focus on innovative ways of teaching and learning, we have not gotten the NOC from JKBOSE despite several attempts over the years,” she said.
“Finally, the document was received this month and we will be finalizing the rest of the affiliation process shortly. We hope that this year we will get the connection and there will be no more hurdles,” she added.
The school has been trying to gain approval since Ladakh gained Union Territory status.
Even after the split, schools in Ladakh remain affiliated with the board of Jammu and Kashmir.
A committee last year had proposed the creation of a new territorial administration in Ladakh with the aim of meeting the “realistic needs of the students according to the natural conditions of the region”.
The 21-year-old school is named after Mipham Pema Karpo (1527-1592), who is revered as a great scholar, while Padma Karpo means ‘White Lotus’ in Bothi, the local language.
The wall of the schoolhouse was featured in the closing scene of the Bollywood movie where one of the characters, Chatur, tries to pee, but receives an electric shock when two kids throw at him a light bulb connected to wire from a window. on the first floor .
While the ‘iconic idiotic wall’ – part of a building damaged in the 2010 flash floods – still stands on campus, the first floor, previously made of bricks, has been replaced by wooden structures typically used in Ladakh.
The school decided in 2018 to move the “Rancho’s wall” to avoid students being distracted by the influx of tourists.
Students there study Bothi, English and Hindi, plus sciences, social studies, creative arts and sports, Agma said.
She said they also receive training in livelihood and livelihood skills, teamwork, presentation skills, leadership and problem solving through formal and co-curricular activities.
“At the moment the students have a winter break and we have decided that this winter break will be a ‘no gadgets’ holiday.
“Due to the pandemic, we have started lessons via smartphones, although it still remains a challenge as there is no internet stability in some hilly terrains, so we only gave offline homework to students during the break,” she added.
