'3 Idiots' Fame Ladakh School Gets CBSE Affiliation Over Two Decades After Its Inception
Druk Padma Karpo School, nestled in the cold desert of Ladakh and popularly known as "Rancho's school", has finally got CBSE affiliation more than two decades after it was founded. The affiliation was granted after several delays and rejections.
The school, which shot to fame after it featured in the Aamir Khan-starrer movie "3 Idiots" in 2009, was so far affiliated with the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE). Known for its innovative methods of teaching much before the new National Education Policy (NEP) proposed reforms to move away from traditional "rot learning", the school is now planning to expand till class 12.
"We have finally got the CBSE affiliation after delay of several years and our first batch of class 10 students is now waiting for their CBSE board exam results.
"Though we had all the required infrastructure in place, excellent result record and focus on innovative ways of teaching and learning, we didn't get the NOC from the JKBOSE despite several attempts all these years," school principal Mingur Angmo told PTI.
As per the affiliation norms of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), schools require a 'no objection certificate' from the respective state board. The foreign schools require a similar document from the embassy concerned or the Consulate of India in the country concerned.
The school has been trying to get the clearance since even before Ladakh acquired the Union Territory status.
"The infrastructure is already being expanded and we plan to start class 11 and 12 by 2028. We are conducting some training for our teachers to facilitate a smooth transition for students to the CBSE curriculum. Our methods of teaching were different from traditional classroom teaching and with the CBSE also reforming its pedagogy after the NEP, it will be easier for us to blend both," Angmo explained.
Even after the bifurcation, several schools in Ladakh continue to be affiliated to the Jammu and Kashmir board.
A committee had also proposed establishment of a new territorial board in Ladakh with an aim to fulfil the "realistic needs of the students as per the natural conditions of the region".
The 24-year-old school is named after Mipham Pema Karpo (1527-1592), who is revered as a great scholar, while Padma Karpo means 'White Lotus' in Bothi, the local language.
The school is now flocked by tourists, making it a 'must go' point on the itinerary. A wall of the school's building featured in the closing scene of the Bollywood film in which one of the characters, Chatur, tries to urinate but gets an electric shock as two kids throw at him a light bulb connected with wire from the first floor's window.
While the 'iconic idiotic wall' - part of a building which was damaged in the 2010 flash floods - still remains on campus, the first floor, earlier made of bricks, has been replaced with wooden structures typically used in Ladakh.
The school decided in 2018 to relocate the 'Rancho's wall' to ensure students don't get distracted due to inflow of tourists.
"Now the two areas are separate, the students do not get disturbed by the tourists. However, at times tourists get to attend some activities ongoing at the school. Like yesterday, we had conducted mock elections with the election commission here. The activity was done to give students a first-hand experience of the democratic process right from voting to the forming of a government.
"So, if there is such an activity going on, we sometimes allow visitors to attend or see," Angmo explained.
"With CBSE affiliation, the transition for higher education in the country and abroad will be easier for our students and we can set an example of blending traditional classroom learning with innovative and play-way methods of teaching," she added. PTI GJS GJS MNK MNK
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Mission Admission 2025: Panel looks past engineering, talks specialisations for future-ready careers
Bengaluru: If the dean in the famous Aamir Khan movie '3 Idiots' believed that sons must become engineers and daughters doctors, the panel discussion on 'Beyond Engineering: Hottest Specialised Courses for Future-Ready Careers' would've been an eye-opener for him. The session focused on multiple streams, including liberal arts, design, political science, and BBA, and the prospects they hold. "Traditionally, engineering has been the go-to career for all students. However, if you look at the current context, things have changed drastically. We saw the industrial revolution, computer revolution, and now the AI revolution. Each revolution displaced many jobs and created new ones. It's about how we adapt. The biggest currency isn't employment; it's employability. If you build your employability quotient, it doesn't matter what's happening," said Sunil C, country manager, Adecco India. Latha Krishnan, professor and dean, school of liberal studies, CMR University, explained how liberal arts is interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in nature, making it extremely employable. "Suppose you take psychology as your major. You can have science like applied mathematics or data science as your minor. If you have philosophy, you can become a social scientist and have data science as your minor. Such combinations will help you become tech-fluent," she said. Julian Paret, director at Alliance Centre of Eurasian Studies at Alliance University, agreed and explained how political science is also multidisciplinary. "Political science is a very holistic discipline. Data science and political science is a very popular combination. For example, if you want to lead any kind of electoral campaign, you need to be able to manage data. The same goes for psychology, because you need to be able to anticipate what the trends of tomorrow are. And it is a subject open to almost everyone," he said. Abhinav Srivastava, assistant professor and HOD, Presidency School of Design, explained how design is everywhere. "Anyone who comes from an engineering background when designing something will try to understand what the man actually wants. And that is where the entire concept of user-centric designing and human-centric design came in. In the last decade, there has been an upsurge in the kind of products we use. This has given way to something called UX and UI," he said. Anirrban Ghosh, associate dean and admission chair, JAGSoM (Jagdish Sheth School of Management), described why BBA is vital before getting an MBA. "BBA is the foundation of management. A BBA teaches you how to be professional from day one. If you do a BBA, your career acceleration happens. Also, with a BBA, you get to do internships and can even convert them into pre-placement offers. Also, the industry connections you make will be another advantage. " — Raksha Hosur Pradeep & Prathikaa V Shastry Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
India's highest paid actress, second most followed celebrity investor, yet no Bollywood film in 5 years- Find out who
At a time when equal pay in the film industry is still a hot topic, this actress has broken barriers by out-earning many of her male counterparts with a staggering ₹ 30 crore fee for her upcoming film. She's also emerged as one of the most followed celebrity investors of the year. Yet, despite all this success, she hasn't appeared on the Indian big screen in not one, but five whole years. Can you guess who she is? According to the 2025 Candere Hurun India Women Leaders list, Priyanka Chopra is the second most followed celebrity investor on the list, only slightly behind the topper, Shraddha Kapoor with 94.1 million followers. Priyanka has 92.4 million followers online as per the list; 92.3 million alone on Instagram and 27.2 million on X, formerly Twitter. The list mentioned, 'Priyanka Chopra, 42, with 92.4 million followers, is a global icon and the Co-founder of Purple Pebble Pictures, a production company. She is also the Co-founder of Anomaly Haircare, a brand known for its high-quality, sustainable hair care products. With her entrepreneurial spirit and global reach, Priyanka has expanded her influence beyond acting, making a significant mark in the entertainment and beauty industries.' Reportedly, Priyanka's total net worth is said to be around ₹ 650 crore. She was last seen in the short film, We Are One Family as herself in 2020. However, her last full length role in a Bollywood film was in the movie, The Sky Is Pink, released in 2019. She is set to mark her comeback in Indian cinema with filmmaker SS Rajamouli's next tentatively titled, SSMB29. It also has Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran. According to a report by Bollywood Hungama, Priyanka Chopra has charged a massive ₹ 30 crore for the Rajamouli film, becoming the highest-paid actress in Indian cinema. A source told the portal previously, 'This is why they took so long to announce her participation in the project. She was not willing to budge over her fee, and why should she? Why should only the men actors get double-digit salaries in our films?" Notably, while ₹ 30 crore is a record-breaking paycheck for an Indian actress, Priyanka has earned even more internationally. Now based out of Los Angeles with husband Nick Jonas, she reportedly took home $5 million (over ₹ 41 crore) for her role in Amazon Prime Video's Citadel, as per Hindustan Times. With her recent ₹ 30 crore deal for the pan-India film, Priyanka Chopra has officially surpassed Deepika Padukone to become the highest-paid actress in India. Deepika was the previous highest-earning actress after charging ₹ 20 crore for her role in Kalki 2898 AD.
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Sitaare Zameen Par Director On Aamir Khan's Decision To Retire: ‘Knew He'd Never Quit Acting'
Last Updated: Director RS Prasanna reveals he knew Aamir Khan's decision to quit acting was emotional, not final, and opens up on their bond during Sitaare Zameen Par. Director RS Prasanna, best known for Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, is all set to return with Sitaare Zameen Par, starring Aamir Khan and marking the debut of 10 specially-abled actors. While talking about the journey of working on the slice-of-life sports drama, the filmmaker also recalled Aamir's brief decision to quit acting post the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha. In a recent conversation with SCREEN (Indian Express), Prasanna opened up about the moment he heard Khan wanted to take a break. 'It was very shocking! Imagine when a superstar like Aamir meets me and decides to quit acting, people would blame me. Aisa kya tha director mein ki he made a superstar quit acting!" he joked. He continued, 'But I knew it was an emotional response by Aamir sir. Like the sitaare, he's also got that keeda of acting. Aamir sir is a child of cinema. He's never going to quit acting. I told him that. So, you take a break. Certainly, you should take a break because you're going through an emotional phase. And time heals." Drawing a parallel, Prasanna added, 'To say you'll quit acting is like Sachin Tendulkar saying he'd quit cricket or AR Rahman saying he'd quit music. It's unheard of!" When asked if he noticed any change in Aamir's demeanor after his return, Prasanna shared, 'When I first met him in 2020, I found him to be a very real and vulnerable man. The time he took off to spend time with his family and loved ones healed him a lot." The filmmaker also recalled Aamir being touched by audience appreciation. 'I remember him telling me that he was at an airport, and so many people came to him and said, 'We loved Laal Singh Chaddha. Keep doing this kind of cinema. We love you!'" Aamir Khan's next, Sitaare Zameen Par, which also stars Genelia Deshmukh, hits theatres on June 20, 2025. The film is described as a spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par and introduces 10 debutant actors with special needs. First Published:
