The Druk Padma Karpo School, famously known as “Rancho’s School” from the 2009 Aamir Khan-starrer movie 3 Idiots, secured Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation in April 2025, over two decades after its establishment in 2001 in Shey, Ladakh. The school, previously affiliated with the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE), faced multiple delays and rejections in obtaining the necessary No Objection Certificate (NOC) from JKBOSE, a prerequisite for CBSE affiliation. Principal Mingur Angmo noted that despite the school’s robust infrastructure, excellent academic record, and innovative teaching methods, bureaucratic hurdles delayed the process until Ladakh’s transition to Union Territory status in 2019 facilitated progress. The NOC was finally received in 2023, with CBSE affiliation granted in 2025, allowing the first batch of Class 10 students to take CBSE board exams in 2025, with results expected soon after.
Key Details
- School Background: Named after Mipham Pema Karpo, a 16th-century scholar, with “Padma Karpo” meaning “White Lotus” in Bothi, the school is renowned for its innovative, student-centric approach, emphasizing life skills, leadership, and creative arts alongside core subjects like English, Hindi, sciences, and social studies. It aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s shift away from rote learning.
- Cultural Significance: The school gained fame for its appearance in 3 Idiots, particularly the “iconic idiotic wall” featured in the film’s closing scene, where a character receives an electric shock. The wall, part of a building damaged in the 2010 Ladakh flash floods, was rebuilt with traditional wooden structures and relocated in 2018 to minimize tourist disruptions while preserving its draw as a visitor attraction.
- Impact of CBSE Affiliation: The affiliation eases students’ transitions to higher education in India and abroad, aligning the school with a nationally recognized curriculum. The school plans to expand to Classes 11 and 12 by 2028, with ongoing teacher training to adapt to CBSE’s pedagogy.
- Tourism and Education Balance: The school manages tourist influx by separating the “Rancho’s Wall” area, though visitors can occasionally observe activities like mock elections, which teach democratic processes.
Connection to Previous Queries
There is no direct link between the Druk Padma Karpo School’s CBSE affiliation and your earlier queries:
- French Open 2025 (Osaka vs. Badosa): A tennis event, unrelated to education or Ladakh.
- NTPC Assistant Chemist Trainee Recruitment: An Indian PSU job in the power sector, distinct from school education.
- Planet Money on Manufacturing Jobs: While the school’s innovative teaching could prepare students for skilled jobs, it’s not directly tied to manufacturing discussions in the U.S.
- Cheese-Rolling Chase, Chemical Plant Explosion, Denisa Maria Adas, Confindustria, UPSC Calendar, Joe Wilson: These topics (a British event, a Chinese accident, an Italian criminal case, an Italian business meeting, Indian recruitment, and U.S.-Russia geopolitics) have no evident connection to the school’s milestone.
If you’re exploring a broader angle (e.g., education’s role in preparing students for jobs like NTPC’s or economic impacts of CBSE affiliation in Ladakh), I can delve deeper.
Next Steps
- Chart Option: I can create a chart comparing CBSE and JKBOSE curricula or timelines of the school’s affiliation journey.
- Further Analysis: I can search for updates on the Class 10 CBSE results (expected soon after April 2025) or explore the school’s teaching methods in context with NEP 2020.
- Contextual Link: If you want to connect this to education policy, tourism in Ladakh, or job prospects for graduates, please specify.
Would you like me to generate a chart, search for updates, or focus on a specific aspect? Sources:
New delhi:
Druk Padma Karpo School, Nestled in the Cold Desert of Ladakh and Popularly Know as “Rancho’s school”, have finally got CBSE Affiliation more than Two Decades after it was forth. The Affiliation was granted after several delays and rejections.
The school, why after 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 alarning” 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.
“Thought 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 set 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 concerted.
The school has been trying to get the clearance since even before ladakh acqured the union territory status.
“The infrastructure is alredy being expanded and we plan to start class 11 and 12 by 2028. 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 balance.
Even after the Bifurcation, Several Schools in Ladakh Continue to be Affiliated to the Jammu and Kashmir Board.
A committee had also properly proposed establishment of a new territorial board in ladakh with an aim to fullfil 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, What 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 urineate but urineate but gets an Electric shock as Two kids throw at him a light bill With wire from the first floor’s window.
While The ‘Iconic Idotic 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 Structure Typically used in ladakh.
The school decided in 2018 to relacate the ‘Rancho’s Wall’ to Ensure Students Doing Get Distracted Due to Inflow of Tourists.
“Now the two are separete, the students do not get disturbed by the tourists. Elections with the election commission here
“So, if there is such an activity going on, we sometimes allows 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.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by ndtv staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/3-idiots-fame-school-in-ladakh-gets-cbse-affiliation-after-two-decades-8268341#publisher=newsstand