From the time I had heard about SECMOL I have been wanting to visit the place.

SECMOL Students
Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh in Leh is a learning space created by a group of Ladakhi
students in 1988. Sonam Wangchuk, winner of the Rolex Award and the Global Award for Sustainable
Architectrure, being one of them. What had attracted me to this place are some of the unique concepts
that are being practiced there. The most striking one for me the criteria for admission to SECMOL a
child can get admission there only if he/she has failed in class 10 exams. The entire space is solar
powered, providing much needed warmth during the winter months when the temperatures go down to
-25 degrees. They also have a room that works as a refrigerator during summer months. It is built in
such a way that the temperature is much lower than the surrounding area. The room is used to store
vegetables and other food items. Another interesting aspect is the timing they follow- the clock at
SECMOL is one hour ahead. The idea is to maximize the time when sun is up and in a way following the
circadian rhythm. So when you visit the place you have your time and SECMOL time.

In my interaction with students I discovered that at the end of one year at SEVCMOL what they gain the
most is self confidence, learn to value themselves and trust in their abilities. The positive environment
and exposure to varied activities enables them to discover their area of interest and find focus and
direction. I had the opportunity to engage with the students through a session on multiple intelligences.
I hope the session would have helped add another dimension to understanding themselves and
accepting and valuing the unique gifts that each one of them have.