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Sonam Wangchuck Speaker Profile

​Sonam Wangchuk is the founder of Student's Educational & Cultural Movement of Ladakh. 

While he was doing his Engineering from Srinagar. He understood the hardships faced by the Ladakhi students in the government schools,95% of the students were failing in their matric exams every year.Therefore,after he finished his graduation in 1988, together with some other like-minded people he started SECMOL .After initially starting with coaching classes to help matric students, they soon realized that for a lasting solution they needed to bring reforms in the education system in the village primary schools. So they launched an education reform movement in collaboration with the government.

​As  an  engineer  Sonam  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 – 25 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 wasting  stream waters in winter in the form of giant ice cones or stupas and release the water in  late spring as they melt... just when farmers need water.  

Sonam Wangchuk was granted several awards and titles, such as UNESCO Chair for  Earthen Architecture for India 2014, Game Changers Award by Human Resource Club  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  Governors Medal by the J&K State Government in 1996.

SECMOL wins International Terra Award for best building -  July 2016

(SECMOL) won the International Terra Award Trophy. This was announced at the 12th World Congress on Earthen Architecture in Lyon France. SECMOL was one of the nine winners out of the 40 finalists selected from 250+ contestants coming from all continents of the world. The rammed earth ‘Big Building’, located at SECMOL Campus, was built using simple, low-cost traditional techniques on principles of passive solar architecture. The building comprises a big solar heated teaching hall, several rooms for the students, and other classrooms.
Not only this building but the entire SECMOL campus doesn’t require to burn fossil fuels for heating even during peak winter months when outside temperatures drops below – 20 degree Celsius. 

​Sonam Wangchuk became only the second Indian to win a Rolex Award for Enterprise on November 2016. 

Sonam Wangchuck Speaker Videos