Brief Bio
Er. Sonam Wangchuk was born in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh. Though a Mechanical Engineer by education, he has been primarily working in the field of educational reform for more than three decades. In 1988, just after Er. Wangchuk finished his engineering and founded SECMOL (Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh - www.secmol.org) to support Ladakhi children and youth in educationally challenging and culturally confusing times. In 1994 he was instrumental in launching Operation New Hope - a triangular collaboration among the government, village communities, and civil society to reform the government school system. The programme involved the formation of Village Education Committees to take ownership of state schools, training teachers in child-friendly ways, and re-writing and publishing localised textbooks for Ladakh. As a result, the pass percentage in 10th grade (matriculation) rose from the dismal 5 per cent to 55 per cent in seven years and presently stands at 75 per cent. For students who failed their state exams, he founded the SECMOL Alternative School Campus near Leh, where the admission criteria is a failing grade. However, with the supportive and creative environment at the school, the so-called failures have excelled in their chosen fields and risen to international acclaim as entrepreneurs, filmmakers, politicians, and teachers. As an engineer, Er. Wangchuk has been teaching innovation at the SECMOL Alternative School, where, together with the students, he designed and built solar-heated buildings that are low cost, made of earth/mud but maintain +15?C even when the outside temperature is -15?C in Ladakhi winters. In order to solve the water crisis facing mountain regions due to climate change and fast melting glaciers, he invented the Ice Stupa artificial glacier, which stores the unused stream waters in winter in the form of giant ice cones or stupas and releases the water in late spring as they melt; when farmers need water. Er. Wangchuk has been granted several awards and titles, such as the Magsaysay Award from the Philipines (Asian version of the Nobel Prize), 2018; The GQ Men Of The Year Award for Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017; the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture, Paris 2017; The Rolex Award for Enterprise 2016 in Hollywood USA; The Terra Award 2016 for World's Best Earth Buildings in Lyon France; The UNESCO Chair for Earth Architecture for India in 2014; Real Heroes' Award by CNN IBN Channel in 2008; 'Green Teacher' Award by Sanctuary Asia Magazine in 2005; Ashoka Fellowship by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public in 2002; 'Man of the Year' by The Week magazine in India in 2001 and the Governor's Medal by the J&K State Government in 1996.
