About – Siddharthastok high school

Founder's Vision

Khenzur Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan, a Ladakhi Buddhist monk and Tibetan Buddhist Philosophical teacher, founded the school in1995 in his home village of Stok, Leh-Ladakh. Located in the isolated Himalayas of northern India, Ladakh is among the last last places where a traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture remains unrepressed.

Yet todays Ladakhi children face the great challenges of rapid modernization and the global market economy, which threatens their sustainable, communal and deeply peaceful way of life.

The Siddhartha High School was started with 25 count of students, its History, Foundation and Vision:

Twenty five students and a teacher, Mr. Tsewang Dorjey in a rented small old house in Stok, before the school block was not laid its foundation in the current location. Today the School gives the children of Ladakh access to the highest quality education in the region, while also honoring their life ways and traditions in the curriculum and school activities. What

started with twenty five students and a teacher in a small old house is now is a reputed private school with more than 400 students from Nursery to Class 10th. (Photo of founder and group photo of first class with 25 students and first teacher).

The Siddhartha High School’s mission is to give the children of Ladakh, access to a rich, thoroughly modern education that is in harmony with their Himalayan heritage and their cultural traditions. Besides all the main stream academic subjects, it also gives opportunity to the children of Ladakh to learn traditional ethics, culture and importance of Buddhism and to know their values in their lives. Siddhartha High School is the one of the first schools in Ladakh to introduce Tibetan Buddhist philosophy along with the Tibetan (Bodhi) language as one of the important subjects. Besides that every Wednesdays and Fridays, Bodhi teacher gives special teachings regarding Buddhism and moral talks, during morning assembly.

The Society is the foundation stone and guardian of the school. It came into being on 25th November, 1995 with five governing members and twelve other office bearers. It was officially registered under Societies Registration Act VI of 1998 (1941 A.D.) on 20th of January 1996 as “Siddhartha Culture and Welfare Society”. The Society aims to preserve and promote culture and traditional customs of Ladakh, to promote seminar/ workshop for the children, to promote the Ladakhi language and scripts through education, to eradicate social evils prevailing at present among the Ladakhis through awareness and education. Besides these the Society is mainly concerned about the availability of the best of education and literacy to the children belongs to the remotest areas of Ladakh. Today it is successfully conducting the School with over more than 400 students belong to different remote places of Ladakh. Currently we have seven governing/executive members who are sincerely dedicated to develop the School to give opportunity to the children of Ladakh not merely the mainstream education but traditional and cultural education

HIS HOLINESS THE 14^TH DALAI LAMA’S VISITS SCHOOL

Siddhartha High School is not just once but blessed thrice with the auspicious visit of His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama. Our beloved founder Khenzur Rinpoche Lobzang Tsetan is personally in contact with His Holiness from couple of decades and because of his request to the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (OHHDL), whenever His Holiness visited Ladakh had somehow managed to request Him to visit the school in the past couple of decades. He visited first time on 12^th July, 1998, second time on 12^th August, 2009 and for the last time on 8^th August, 2016. His Holiness also appointed Khenzur Rinpoche as the Abbot (Khenpo) of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, Bylakuppe, Karnataka until 2018. Since then His Holiness is in close contact with him.

His Holiness is very happy with the development of the school, especially the introduction of Tibetan Buddhist Philosophical debate in the school along with the Bodhi (Tibetan language) as an important curriculum, first time in any private schools in Ladakh and the introduction of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). He also appreciates the sponsors and donors of the school and very happy to know that they are having such a philanthropic commitments to support the school.

Kundun visit in 2009