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Ladakh Culture
Education in Ladakh
For almost 50 years the education system in Ladakh has been in chaos. It is based
on the Indian education system which is a poor copy of the British system. Schools
are now well distributed throughout Ladakh but 75% of them are primary only (5-11
years). These are attended by about 65% of the children, but there is a high level
of absenteeism, especially in the busy agricultural seasons when the children's
help is needed on the farms. As there are fewer middle and high schools, study
beyond the age of II often involves leaving home. Low salaries (Rs.1500-3500 per
month) attract poor quality teachers, most of whom have to be recruited from outside
Ladakh. Teacher absenteeism is also a problem and it is not unheard of for teachers
to charge for private tuition on subjects that they themselves failed to teach
in school. As if this were not enough, the Western-biased curriculum teaches the
pupils nothing of their own land or history and they aren't even taught in Ladakhi.
Until the age of 14 they learn in Urdu and after that in English. They then have
only two years to master this new language before taking the all important matriculation
exam, in English. This is their passport to jobs and further education: 95% fail
it. It seems that for the vast majority, schooling has served only to alienate
them from their native culture.
The long-term outlook is a little more promising. In 1993 the Students' Educational
and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) launched 'Operation New Hope', a campaign
to provide 'culturally appropriate and locally relevant education' by a number
of means which include producing Ladakhi textbooks, adopting one language for
the teaching of maths and science at all ages, and the regular training of teachers.
A government degree college has been opened in Leh, thus providing further education
students with the option of staying in Ladakh, rather than having to move to Delhi
or Kashmir.
