Opinion | Is Education Sector in kashmir Undergoing Transformation for Better “Despite the Various Conflicts in the Region

“Education is the Movement from Darkness to Light”.

The UT Jammu and Kashmir being a restive region in Indian union has prominently seen enormous upheavals and commotion in it’s education sector since time to time due to various internal and external conflicts.

 Education has seen and been an area which has been hit the worst and at the same time. Further and in particular the situation after watering-down of Article 370 and COVID-19 scenario. The situation is peculiar because everywhere else the populace suffered a single blow of COVID-19 but the effects of lockdown by State after 5th August 2019 was unprecedented. The schools remained shut and lifeless for months to come. The examination pattern and school routine got disrupted , today we will try to analyse such facts. Moreover we shall discuss also about the poor Education system in the backward and distant area’s of UT Kashmir, and various steps to be ensured for the efficiency and improvement in educational fronts in the backward area’s of UT.

 There are various Sectors in Kashmir who have been gone through the worst of scenarios but the area that I am deeply eying upon is it’s Education Sector. Breaks in education faced by the children of Kashmir are unpredictable, surrounded by fear, appalling and lack of Invigorating activity. All these factors are severely deleterious for learning and development and is discouraging for students, making it tougher to re-assemble themselves in regular school routine. The most palpable impact of prolonged closures is the pressure on institutions to complete the authorized syllabus in smaller time periods. In 2016, the state government announced mass promotion of 8, 9 and 11 standard students due to inability to complete the syllabus.

 The continuous breaks has gravely effected the learning outcomes and Impactive learning fronts among the students across the valley. Effective learning fronts which involves consistent, valuable interactions with students that bring them guidance. Students need to know where they need help and what they are doing well, but continuous closures has restricted the students of Kashmir to it’s limits. The impact of conflict on school education is often forgotten. Education in such times can be a sustainable tool for achieving post conflict peace and providing stability and normalcy to the region. It is also a means of instilling new hope, stability and grabbing positivity as well as offering opportunity to the youth who are surrounded by severe violence. One of the major challenges of education in situation of conflict is the disruption and discontinuation it creates. Such things strongly effects the Student’s academic performance as well as their Psyco–social developments.

The United Nations documents that due to COVID-19 there have been unprecedented disruptions to education system ever seen in history. It estimates that 1.6 billion students have been badly impacted in more than 190 countries across the world. The Kashmir region has also been a victim of the same. After the unparalleled uprising of 2016, the academics suffered innumerable problems. This surely impacts the efficiency of students and their performance in competitions. This is the mixture of impact on education due to externalities and internal conflicts from time to time.

The Indian government dissolved Article 370 of the Indian Constitution on August 4, stripping the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomous governing status, which was granted in 1957 to ease tensions with neighbouring Pakistan. The Move was followed by the Cut-off in Internet access and shutdown of Schools across the valley, left the students again in desperate for more than a year. Furthermore, The Education that is been received by the Children’s in rural and backward area’s of UT Kashmir is extremely standard. Undoubtedly, The backbone of the quality education is entrenched in primary level schooling. This is the period where children are taught the basics which help them grabbing advanced concepts with ease as they grow up. Correct execution of primary level schooling at the Backward and rural areas of UT Kashmir along with ensuring each student receives proper guidance in those initial years becomes fundamental towards achieving sustainable goals in the near future and help the students earlier to accomplish their goal of survival. But, in the backward area’s of UT Kashmir we make sure that children come to school but the education they are gaining, the learning outcomes they needs to be monitor the next When it comes to maintaining the bright minds of our nation, only making education attainable to all isn’t enough.

The Quality of education being admitting becomes a crucial factor in improving the overall quality of life – the first step towards bringing positive reforms in society. Hence, Ensuring the quality of education rendering to the student’s at backward and in the remotest area’s of Kashmir would get innumerable positive learning outcomes respectively.There are a number of factors that affect performance among rural students and backward area’s students in the UT Kashmir. There are Several challenges that distant area’s students are facing mainly deprivation from better road connectivity, frequent power cuts, deprived from better internet connectivity.

 There are many steps which needs to be monitored and ensured in order to bring effective learning fronts in the remotest area’s of UT Kashmir. Firstly, admitting the quality of education must go hand in hand. When we talk about the quality of education the first basic amenities which comes into our mind is it’s infrastructural facilities such as Classrooms, better water and sanitation facilities, availability of electricity, learning outcomes through skill-based projects and seminars, admitting and accessing sports equipment, better learning materials and implementation of Mid-day meal schemes. Most importantly, there is a lack of the training of the teacher’s, they have done their basic qualifications but they are not adequately trained hence we need to work on that front as well. Furthermore, there are other steps which can be ensured in order to bring the quality of education in the distant area’s of UT Kashmir Valley.

1) Quality of teaching and teachers: An well-organized teacher can bring massive difference in the child’s education. Teachers play a pivotal role in ensuring that students pursue the appropriate knowledge that keep their minds flickering for seeking dexterity and efficiency simultaneously . In fact, students’ like or dislike attending classes or interests in a particular subject can be developed because of their teacher and his/her quality of teaching. There is no doubt with the fact that the teachers play such a pivotal role in swaying and prompting the quality of education so this step needs to be ensured keenly and gravely.

2) Making Use of Modern-day Technology: To enhance the education system in the distant area’s of UT Kashmir, it is the need of the hour to focus on technology and its benefits. The world we live in is technology-driven. So adapting accessibilities to modern digital facilities to the students can be a very effective step so we need to work on this front as well. Moreover teacher’s should make sure of their regular attendance and should ensure adequate training in order to adapt better learning outcomes at the same time.

3) Increase in the Number of Schools in the Remotest area’s of UT Kashmir: For children’s to enroll in the school government requires to establish more educational institute’s. Undoubtedly, Due to the scarcity and unavailability of schools in Far flung area’s makes it difficult for the students to reach school and learn. Hence by working efficiently on this front it will surely be quite helpful For the children’s of distant area’s. Additionally, Government should take steps For those who come from a very low financial background, the government should provide them free textbooks, laboratory facilities, and other perks so that education doesn’t seem like a burden to their parents.

4) Infrastructure Facilities: The students who belongs to mountainous areas are deprived from various basic facilities like non-availablity of roads, power-shortage, mainly they are deprived from internet connections which is indeed a matter of concern, while we are talking about digital India but such distant area’s of (UT Kashmir) are even unable to access the better internet facilities, lacks the better linkage of roads as well so Government should work on this front as well so that students from distant area’s can compete with the rest of the world equally. Moreover, Supervision of Execution To achieve tangible goals, monitoring is must. The Education department can set up a team which can visit these schools to check functionality and effectuality. We can encourage students to attend schools by emphasizing the importance of education to the economically weaker sections of society as well. In Conclusion, there is no doubt with this fact that ” The world is witnessing rapid changes in knowledge landscape with big data, artificial intelligence and machine learning getting incorporated in education scheme, whereas in Kashmir, it’s remotest and backward area’s are still struggling to provide basic education to channelize and conduct the energy of youth in right direction. There are innumerable reasons for the lagging education standards. Urgent and revolutionary measures are needed to improve this fundamental problem of lagging education if we want to inscript the challenge of despondency and deseperateness, If we genuinely want to take out the backward area’s of UT Kashmir from such predicament we needs to improve the education standards in terms of both – quality and quantity.

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