In the second episode of the fortnightly interview series, Ru-Ba-Ru, Voice of Ladakh interviewed the CEO rZamba Trust Stanzin Saldon alias Shifa. The interview discussed on a wide range of issues including Saldon’s success story, rZamba intervention in the education sector, loopholes in the education sector, women empowerment, and other relevant issues. The full interview is enumerated below:

Voice of Ladakh (VOL): Kindly introduce yourself to our readers.

Stanzin Saldon (SS): First of all, I would like to thank you for considering our work so important and for disseminating our message to the whole community. My name is Stanzin Saldon and some people call me Shifa. I am from Leh and married in Kargil, thus, I belong to the whole of Ladakh. My schooling is done from Moravian Mission School Leh till 10th standard. Like others, I travel outside Ladakh to pursue my higher studies. I did my higher secondary education at Banasthali Vidyapeeth. After 12^th, I got selected for MBBS and got admission at Government Medical College Jammu and pursued the same for 2 years. Then, I realise that I am not born for that profession; thus, I left and got associated with voluntary organisations.

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I pursued Bachelor in Social Work through IGNOU and simultaneously remained associated with NGOs; meanwhile, I took various fellowships and developed the idea to start something of my own where I could do my own mind and work on my own missions. Meanwhile, I met with some friends from Kargil and started working in some local schools here. I was feeling the gap and scope of work in the education sector. We wanted to form an organisation to support the needy and came through the concept of rZamba in 2015. In 2017 we got it registered officially; since then, we started on an intensive understanding of local challenges and address them with locally available resources.

Since 2018-19 we started intensive engagement in local government schools. I am currently working as CEO at rZamba Trust. We have 12 members of which 11 are locals and other one is Amita Yadav from Ghaziabad who is working as a program coordinator with the organisation.

VOL: Why do you choose education as the priority and only sector to engage with?

SS: We believe that no decision is a sudden but gradual process. From the beginning, the projects, the assignments, and the schools that came into our contact took us in this direction. We had the vision to make a change in our future for which we wanted to do something in the present. Thus, everything boils down to education which is an essential and complex field of society. This sector also needed a sustainable effort. Thus, we choose this field.

VOL: What are the modules that you are working on in the education sector?

SS: Our flagship program is known as Holistic Child Well-being Program. The aim is to provide quality education to the children of Ladakh, especially in their own community near their house; where their skills, hobbies, value system, and personality could nature. Under the holistic child well-being program, we have various sub-programs. Our approach is to work through community involvement. We sign legal MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the communities, especially the village education committee. We want the communities themselves to own and run the programs. We intervene in the school through the community than of course in collaboration with Administration and Education Department. We believe in co-creation; accordingly, we have sub-programs like library development. We want to see the library as a growing organism or living thing. A library also grows like a child. We also focus on updating and making class pedagogy effective. We use and encourage project-based learning approach. To implement project-based learning we have developed another program called rZamba Learning Facilitators Program. We include a youth boy or girl from within the community in our team. We help him or her to develop skills so that he or she could provide long-term support to the community for sustaining the program. We also assist in the professional development of teachers, and school leaders. In all, we have a holistic program to ensure overall development of children at school. In the past many years, we have learned that education is a complex topic where we could not work in pockets but need a holistic program. Now we are intensively involved in 10 villages.

VOL: At which age group and school standard do you engage?

SS: Currently we are focusing on foundational standards from kindergarten to the third standard. We started our work from the higher secondary level where we realized that unless the foundational standard is improved problems cannot be fixed at a higher level.

VOL: Why did you choose the name rZamba?

SS: We have an interesting story behind this name. Many people challenged the idea for rZamba saying that this is very common, but we started at a time when we had an abundance of resources but the challenge was to take them to the right people. So, we wanted to become a bridge between the people, and between people and the system to ensure the best possible and judicial use of these resources.

VOL: As you are associated with the education sector since 2015, what are the loopholes that you have observed in the education system, especially in the Kargil district?

SS: There are a lot of challenges; many challenges are common not only in Government schools of Ladakh but even all over India. But more challenging are geography-specific issues in Ladakh that include some systemic loopholes like the ratio of students and teachers. Because there is no proper transfer policy yet. A proper transparent transfer policy for teachers is necessary to sustain this process.

Another issue that we observed at school is the gender ratio, especially among teachers; because it is necessary for a child to interact with both genders and to understand their attitudes and values. At schools near Kargil town, we have a huge number of female teachers which reduces gradually when you move towards remote areas from Kargil town. This is a factor that influence the culture and environment at the school. There are many issues that could handle only by a female teacher and some issues could handle only by a male teacher.

Another problem is community ownership. I don’t say that private school is not a good idea but there is a mental picture developed that private school is the only panacea for good and quality education. But private schools have their own challenges. To attend private school the students and sometimes parents migrate to other areas or cities. There is a proverb that “it takes a whole village to raise a child”. A Holistic development is possible only when the child stays among his family, neighbours, village, and community.

Attitude towards education is not good. Some believe that only a classroom environment is called education but that is not true. We have an idealistic view of life where we have an ideal child, a good job, extra. But actually, life is cruel. The resilience, skills and emotions that one needs to live a life could get only from a society. Kargil still has a beautiful family system that we are depriving of for a fake idea of education.

The syllabus is good for government schools. The problem is how you transfer that to the students. There are loopholes in professional development of teachers. All teachers don’t get the training, acknowledgment, and motivation which is also necessary.

The government school lacks ownership which no one accept as their own. In reality, Government schools are the ideal place to ensure inclusion that we are instructed in National Education Policy. The constitution of India also speaks about equality, equity, inclusion, the right to live, and the right to free education; which can be ensured properly in a government school only. Some believe that the government school belongs to the teacher, the teacher ascribes it to society, and society ascribes it to the government. Here it lacks a bridge that we are trying to fill with our programs.

VOL: How is the response of people towards your work?

SS: The best part about our work that we believe in is the community. Especially in Kargil, the community is traditional and people have an essence of community. The only challenge is the lack of guidance and exposure. During COVID we reached around 40 villages and none of the village were reluctant to our program. All villages wanted quality and better education for their coming generation. People’s attitude towards change is welcoming and supportive.

VOL: What do you think of women’s empowerment and participation?

SS: In all over the globe gender has always been an issue and it seems that this tussle will continue till infinity. Women have always been considered the weaker section of society. Even in developed countries and communities’ women still have issues. I believe that lot of changes have taken place in Kargil also. We could see a tremendous number in terms of women participation in different courses, colleges, and offices; and they are doing excellent. Thus, the future seems bright; but still, all sections of our society including the government, social organizations, and religious organizations must need a shift in attitude towards women. Sometimes we see incidence that cannot judge right, and in such times we don’t see any active reaction or solution from them. We must collectively ask what women’s empowerment actually means. Providing a sewing machine is not empowerment. I believe empowerment comes from our soul; unless a woman’s soul believes that she is empowered enough no external thing can empower her. Of course, material things play a huge role but empowerment is needed with attitude and intrinsic values. Women don’t need equality but equity, where equality of opportunity between gender is necessary. We all need to work on these values. When your sister, daughter, or mother falls at their weak point your support means a lot. Support is not needed only from a man to a woman, but also from women to women.

VOL: What are the other sectors where NGOs should intervene?

SS: Every sector, especially in Kargil. When we started, we were severely feeling the gap of such organizations who should work at the grassroots in communities. The same goes with every other sector like gender, waste, sustainable development, climate change, livelihood, etc. The field is open but someone needs to stand up for a particular cause. I also appeal to the government to start programs especially to support local organizations and NGOs. Because in a harsh climates like Ladakh, local organizations only could do sustainable work.