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“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. If you educate a woman, you educate a family and a nation.” This concept has gained new relevance in present-day Kashmir, where an ever-growing number of girls are challenging their social boundaries and defining success through education. In villages of Kupwara and classes in Srinagar and Sopore, girls have been pursuing educational careers in engineering, medicine, research, entrepreneurship, and civil service. Although this change has come about through a series of developments in society, the latest turning point is the introduction of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which has made education much more inclusive, flexible, and contemporary.
Unlike previous policy documents where success was measured by results, NEP 2020 places emphasis on cultivating critical thinking, creativity, and skills along with continuous learning. This development is even more important for the girls of Kashmir. In addition to getting degrees, it allows them to learn skills, engage in research, and become beneficial members of society. Through such reforms in the educational institutions of Jammu and Kashmir, aspirations of families are being altered.
Building Confidence Through STEM Education
For decades now, careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) have been perceived to be tough and not feasible for girls, especially those living in rural regions. Various social pressures, lack of exposure, and absence of female role models made many bright students stay away from such disciplines. The New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 seeks to resolve this disparity through the promotion of learning based on inquiry, coding, innovation, robotics, and actual science experiments starting from the school level. Students should no longer just memorise things but raise questions, seek solutions, and use classroom learning in real-life situations.
These efforts are slowly starting to bear fruit in Jammu and Kashmir. Academic performance in the region indicates that girls are excelling themselves in various national-level competitive exams. Two girls, Sadaf Mushtaq and Simrah Mir, have come into the limelight after scoring 99.50 per cent and 99.39 per cent, respectively, in the JEE Main exam, which shows that students from the Valley can easily stand up against the best engineering students in the entire country.
Another inspiring example is Dr. Ruveda Salam from Kupwara, who became the first woman from Jammu and Kashmir to qualify the UPSC Civil Services Examination through the medical stream. Her journey from a border district to one of India’s most prestigious services demonstrates what determination, quality education and family support can achieve. Stories like these are changing public perceptions and encouraging parents to invest equally in the education of their daughters.
Learning Skills Beyond the Classroom
Academic excellence alone is insufficient in the dynamic nature of the current economy. Considering this, NEP 2020 considers vocational and skill-based education equally important along with academics. The aim is to ensure that the students develop their practical skills, making them employable as well as fostering the culture of entrepreneurship in them.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the Department of School Education has implemented vocational education at High and Higher Secondary schools. Students from Class VI to VIII have been made to devote ten “bagless days” in an academic year, where the learners get exposed to practical work away from regular classroom teaching. The experience exposes the students to practical occupations, local industries as well as creativity, which will add value to their theoretical education.
The positive effects can be seen in districts like Baramulla and Pulwama where girls are being taught handicrafts, fruit processing, digital literacy and entrepreneurship along with science and humanities. This initiative helps to preserve the handicrafts of Kashmir and prepares the young girls to set up their business or seek employment in their surroundings. For families who depend on horticulture or the handicraft industry, the knowledge helps them to add value to their produce.
Making Higher Education More Flexible
For many girls in Kashmir, enrolling on college was not the only hurdle. Pursuing higher education amid financial constraints, family obligations, or any other unpredictable situation has always been a struggle. Many talented students have been forced to abandon their studies, thereby wasting their years of efforts in academics.
The Four-Year Undergraduate Programme and Academic Bank of Credits aim at tackling this problem through NEP 2020. As per the policy formulated by the NEP cell of the University of Kashmir, those students who complete their studies for one year get their certificate, whereas those who complete their studies for two years will be awarded a diploma. The most important thing is that all the credits which they earn during their studies are safely deposited in the Academic Bank of Credits for pursuing further education when conditions become favourable for them.
It would certainly give a ray of hope to girls from the villages or border areas where education might get disrupted due to some financial crunch or any family obligation. They do not need to regard their temporary leave from college as the end of their higher education but rather can start from wherever they stopped.
Research That Solves Local Problems
Similarly, NEP 2020 aims to make universities centers for innovation and research. This NEP is focused not only on making researches in journals but also on tackling problems faced by people living in local communities. In Kashmir, it would be about creating knowledge which will help in the development of agriculture, health care, nutrition, environmental protection and social services.
The Institute of Home Science of the University of Kashmir is working according to NEP 2020’s principles, as women scientists here are doing interdisciplinary research with practical value. The female scientists of this Institute are doing research concerning the nutrition situation of adolescent girls and pregnant women in rural areas and the ICDS project effectiveness assessment.
Similarly, research at institutions like SKUAST-Kashmir continues to support sustainable agriculture, horticulture and climate-resilient farming, fields that are central to the Valley’s economy. As more women enter research and innovation, they are contributing not only to academic knowledge but also to the development of practical solutions for society.
Looking Ahead
Educational equity is still a long way off. Issues like digital access, finances, modes of transportation, and attitudes are still hindering many girls, especially those living in remote regions. Fortunately, the path of evolution is positive. NEP 2020 has developed an educational system that appreciates abilities rather than genders, emphasizes adaptability rather than rigidity, and prepares learners for life in addition to examination-oriented learning.
The success stories of girls like Sadaf Mushtaq, Simrah Mir, and Dr Ruveda Salam reflect the transformative impact of education and opportunity. As more girls enter classrooms, laboratories, universities, and research centres, they are securing their future in the development of society. An educated girl benefits her family, community, and ultimately her country.
The Author is a Writer and Social commentator with a Master’s in Food Science and Technology and a B.ED. Writes on themes related to women’s empowerment, rural livelihoods, entrepreneurship, health, and changing social realities in the Kashmir Valley.
rakshandagul629@gmail.com
