Patrons
Richard Gere
Richard Gere is an American film actor, a well-known Buddhist, and an active supporter of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a keen supporter of Tibetan cultural preservation
Joanna Lumley OBE FRGS
Joanna Lumley is a British actor who was born in Kashmir. She is a campaigner for the preservation of Tibetan culture and has an interest in and concern about environmental matters, sponsoring the Joanna Lumley Fellowship in Environmental Science at the University of Oxford.
The Viscount and Viscountess Cowdray
"We are pleased to support the good work of the Druk Padma Karpo School. The Ladakhi children benefit hugely from the school, in communities where schooling would otherwise not be available. We are glad to see the school growing in strength and number since its beginning in 2001 and continue to fund raise on their behalf".
The Rt. Hon. the Dowager Countess Cawdor
Countess Cawdor is an enthusiastic supporter of DPKS and is keen to see the school extend into further education territory.
Drukpa Trust (a charity registered in England No.1178756) supports the school through capital fundraising and project management of the design and construction. Drukpa Trust was founded in 1992 at the inception of the school project and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was a founding Patron.
"The idea of having a modern school which lays equal importance on preserving the valuable aspects of a traditional culture is very encouraging. I have always believed in giving equal importance to both modern, scientific knowledge and traditional Buddhist culture. A proper synthesis can give rise to positive result."
Live to Love, an international NGO supports the school through capital fundraising and value-added educational resources. His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa initiated the Live to Love movement, a secular philosophy that encourages communities to use kindness and wisdom to heal the modern world’s challenges, and to celebrate diversity of faiths and cultures. Live to Love International is the resulting global network of non-profit organisations focused on those goals, pioneering multiple local and cross-border projects throughout the Himalayas and beyond.
Supporters
The Yardbirds
One of the most influential rock bands of all time, the Yardbirds launched the careers of Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. In their current line-up, with original member James McCarty, the Yardbirds have played several gigs for the benefit of Druk Padma Karpo School.
Donovan Philips Leitch
Donovan has been involved with the school for many years, even visiting the site in Shey before construction started. He was the featured artist in January 2008 for the first "Sounds of Our Times" radio concert in New York. Druk Padma Karpo School was his charity of choice.
This section contains a selection of downloadable documents relating to different aspects of the school. They are all in pdf format - adobe acrobat is available as a free download from adobe.com
A Journey in Ladakh - the Challenges
Aerial View Shey Campus April 2009
Construction Progress - photo diary 2012
Drukpa Trust Annual Report 2012-13
Lotus Leaves Autumn 2013 (Indian Rupee INR)
Lotus Leaves Autumn 2013 (US$)
Lotus Leaves Autumn 2013 (GB£)
Lotus Leaves Autumn 2013 (Euro €)
Lotus Leaves Newsletter Spring 2015 (GB£)Lotus Leaves Newsletter Spring 2016 (GB£)Mudslide Update August 2011 US$
Mudslide Update August 2011 GB£
Programme to Completion of Secondary School - October 2013 GBP (£)
Druk Padma Karpo School provides quality education (CBSE affiliated) in an exceptional learning environment for girls and boys (aged four to sixteen years) living in the remote Himalayan region of Ladakh, North India. The school took its first intake in September 2001 and now has more than 925 students with up to 35% living on campus in purpose built accommodation.
The school draws from a wide catchment area within the Leh valley region and offers residential facilities to local families as well as children from remote areas for whom opportunity and life choices are often limited and quality education is unavailable.
Some of Druk Padma Karpo School’s students are first generation learners who now have the opportunity to study through to matriculation exams, at age sixteen, and then progress to higher education and even college or university. Through the delivery of a carefully tailored and relevant curriculum our students can make considered choices about their future and the lives and careers they wish to follow. They can also acquire expertise to bring back to family villages and, in the long term, help keep these communities alive.
An English medium school rooted in traditional Ladakhi Culture
Students are encouraged to excel in a broad range of academic subjects and to attain high standards in examinations enabling them, as Indian citizens, to engage fully in local and national opportunities. Alongside academic pursuits, the school also equips students with skills for life in Ladakh: students are encouraged to take part in co-curricular activities such as sports, chess, archery, and ‘culture days’ when students learn about and practise Ladakhi cooking, art, textiles, history and dance, helping to keep culture and traditions meaningful and alive.
The students are split into four houses: Courage, Harmony, Unity and Wisdom, the house flags are below:
We are an award-winning project, inspired by the vision of His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, a spiritual leader of Ladakh. Our school offers an education that grounds students firmly in their own culture and equips them to thrive in the modern world.
The main school is located in Shey, the ancient capital of Ladakh, which is about thirty minutes' drive up the Indus Valley from the main town of Leh. A branch school opened in Khachey in April 2010.
Students study Bothi (the local language), English and Hindi languages, plus sciences, social studies, creative arts and sports. They learn life and livelihood skills, including team work, presentation skills, leadership and problem solving through formal and co-curricular activities.
The school is known locally as the Druk Padma Karpo School - Padma Karpo means White Lotus in Bothi - and is named after Mipham Pema Karpo (1527-1592), who is revered as a great scholar.
This unique initiative is managed by the Druk Padma Karpo Education Society, a local non-profit society, with support from Live to Love, Drukpa Trust (UK charity no 1178756 under the patronage of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama), the Drukpa Charitable Foundation (a US 501(C)(3) organization) and Drukpa Humanitaire (France).
The school is split into four houses - Courage, Wisdom, Unity and Harmony