: 5 Teachers Transform Education in Remote Ladakh; What All of India Can Learn From Them #IndiaNEWS #Education In a heartening development, the union territory of Ladakh was lauded by the Ministry of

5 Teachers Transform Education in Remote Ladakh; What All of India Can Learn From Them #IndiaNEWS #Education
In a heartening development, the union territory of Ladakh was lauded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, for reaching new heights in their recently released Performance Grading Index 2020–21.

Improving its score from 545 (out of 1,000) in 2019–20 to 844 in 2020–21, Ladakh achieved a remarkable jump of 299 points. It went from Level 8 to Level 4 within a year.

The PGI structure comprises 1,000 points across 70 indicators. As per an NDTV report, “The 70 indicators are again grouped into two categories — Outcomes and Governance Management (GM). These categories are further divided into five domains — Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure and Facilities (IF), Equity (E) and Governance Process (GP). �?

There are a plethora of reasons why Ladakh has made this exceptional jump.

One of the less-heralded reasons has been teachers dedicated to the cause of improving school education outcomes in the union territory. While some are building better school infrastructure in more deprived parts of the region, others are introducing new teaching methods. They are bridging the gender gap and giving hope to school students for better prospects after they graduate.

Here are some teachers from Ladakh who have made a difference in the lives of their students.

Muhammad Ali

In August 2021, Muhammad Ali became a recipient of the National Teachers Award for transforming the lives of his students at the Government Middle School in Karith Shargole, a remote village in the Kargil district.

He was felicitated specifically for his imaginative initiative of setting up subject-specific classrooms to enable greater learning in languages (English and Urdu), science and other subjects for students from Class I to Class VIII — besides his work in COVID relief and community organising as Acting Head Teacher.

“My objective as a teacher is not restricted to helping students obtain high marks in examinations. I want them to learn for life. I want them to pick up knowledge and skills that can prove useful to them even as adults. Also, I don’t think we should induce stress on our children for marks. This is no way to truly learn. After all, not every child can come first in class,�? says Ali.

Sonam Gyaltsan

Ever since taking over as the headmaster of the Government Middle School, Taknak, in Sakti village (approximately 50 km from Leh) in March 2016, Sonam Gylatsan has worked wonders. Conferred with the National Teachers Award in 2020, Sonam forged the quintessential public school system success story by working closely with the residents of Sakti village.

From raising the standard of instruction to relocating and rebuilding the school, starting a bus service with his own money, and establishing subject-specific classrooms rich with material, he raised school enrolment from four students in 2016 to more than 100 just three years later.