Opinion | NEP: Kashmir’s Education Revolution – Bridging Tradition and Tomorrow

Srinagar, Kashmir; The sound of children reciting multiplication tables in Kashmiri echoes through the corridors of Government Middle School in Pulwama, where 12-year-old Aatif is solving algebra problems by calculating apple yields from his family’s orchard. This scene captures the quiet revolution unfolding in Kashmir’s classrooms under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 – a transformation that’s rewriting the future of the Valley’s youth while preserving its cultural roots.

As the morning sun filters through Chinar trees onto school courtyards across Kashmir, the NEP’s impact becomes visible in unexpected ways: vocational workshops buzzing alongside traditional classrooms, tablets loaded with digital textbooks next to handwritten Urdu notebooks, and students debating scientific concepts in their mother tongue. Three years since its implementation, the policy is dismantling colonial-era teaching methods and building an education system that speaks Kashmir’s language – both literally and figuratively.

In the secluded Gurez valley, Mubeena Akhtar, a primary school teacher, starts her math class with a Kashmiri folk story about a smart monkey sharing apples with its companions. “When I previously taught solely in Urdu or English, many students found it difficult,” she clarifies. “Now, ideas resonate better because we connect them to what the children are already familiar with.” The NEP’s emphasis on mother tongue instruction has produced remarkable outcomes: a 23% improvement in learning outcomes in grades 1-3, a 17% reduction in dropout rates in primary schools, and 89 government schools have introduced Kashmiri-medium instruction. At Higher Secondary School in Anantnag, language teacher Riyaz Ahmed notes an unexpected benefit: “Students fluent in Kashmiri are picking up Sanskrit and English faster through comparative linguistics exercises.”

The woodworking shop at Boys Higher Secondary School in Baramulla is filled with the scent of fresh pine and aspirations. In this space, 15-year-old Sameer is crafting a precisely cut cabinet door while discussing how geometry relates to his measurements. “My grandfather was a carpenter, but he never envisioned that I would learn this in school,” he states, tracing his finger along a dovetail joint. NEP’s vocational integration has transformed 47 government schools across Kashmir into skill hubs offering apple orchard management and precision agriculture in Shopian and Pulwama, Pashmina wool processing and textile design in Leh and Kargil, solar panel installation and maintenance in Budgam, and traditional Kashmiri wood carving in Baramulla. “The stigma against vocational training is disappearing,” notes career counselor Dr. Aisha Khan. “When students see classmates earning ₹500-800 daily during apple season using skills learned in school, perceptions change.”

At the University of Kashmir, the newly introduced “credit bank” system enabled sociology major Sana Bashir to take a two-month break from her studies to assist with her father’s apple harvest without jeopardizing her academic progress. “My family required my assistance, and the system was accommodating,” she explains, now back in her classes and on track for graduation. This flexibility is expressed in various ways at different educational levels: in primary school, science lessons include local ecological topics without strict subject limitations; in secondary school, students select skill-based electives in addition to core subjects; and in higher education, students have opportunities for multiple entry and exit points with recognition for certificates.

The shift from rote learning to conceptual understanding has produced measurable results. There’s been a 28% increase in J&K students qualifying for NEET/JEE from 2021 to 2023, a 14% rise in students from government schools securing college admissions, and first-time selections of Kashmiri students in international STEM olympiads. At Delhi Public School Srinagar, principal Alok Kumar observes: “Our students now ask ‘why’ instead of just memorizing ‘what’ – that critical thinking is NEP’s greatest gift.”

62 government schools have implemented menstrual hygiene management, first-generation female students are enrolling in engineering universities, and girls’ enrollment in STEM topics has increased by 40% in conservative Kulgam and Shopian neighborhoods thanks to mobile schools and flexible scheduling. Insha, a 16-year-old from Kulgam who is currently pursuing a career in civil engineering, says: “I saw my future differently when teachers explained how math could help design earthquake-resistant houses.”

There are now daily mindfulness and meditation sessions, workshops on emotion management, and a 33% decrease in test stress complaints thanks to the “Happiness Curriculum” that has been adopted in 320 schools. Nusrat, a psychology teacher, notes: “Even pupils who are hyperactive are able to concentrate better after yoga sessions. Not only are we filling notebooks, but we are also educating minds.

However, implementation faces hurdles. While model schools in Srinagar boast smart classrooms, rural areas face infrastructure and digital divides – only 32% of village schools have reliable internet, 45% lack proper science labs, and often one teacher handles 3-4 grades simultaneously. Teacher training is another challenge, with 68% of teachers indicating a need for additional NEP-focused training. Some madrasas hesitate to incorporate vocational elements, and reforms in assessment create confusion among parents accustomed to traditional exams. The government’s “Each One Teach One” program pairs resistant teachers with early adopters for peer learning.

Among nomadic Gujjar communities, seasonal migration disrupts schooling, only 12% of children access digital education, and traditional occupations often take precedence over classroom time. The new “Mobile Tent Schools” program aims to address this, with 28 units already operational.

This year, J&K’s education budget has increased by 200%, and ambitious projects are under progress. These include digital literacy initiatives for parents, virtual reality history lectures that highlight Kashmir’s legacy, and AI and coding labs in 100 schools by 2025. Additionally, community connections are growing because to corporate-sponsored vocational training centers, sister-school partnerships with Tamil Nadu and Keralan schools, and the “Adopt a School” project, which involves local companies. Certification programs for the Kashmiri language, recording of indigenous knowledge systems, and credit courses in traditional crafts are all examples of efforts to maintain cultural identity.

In his reflection, Education Minister Dr. Tariq Hameed states: “NEP isn’t about creating identical graduates, but helping each child find their unique potential within our cultural context.” Bilal, 10, tends to the vegetable garden at his school in the hamlet of Sopore, explaining how his science classes have enhanced the crop. A farmer without a formal education, his father observes with delight, saying, “Now my son shows me innovative farming methods.” According to Professor Rehana of Kashmir University, “We’re witnessing the first generation that will work with both their hands and minds – that’s real progress.”

As dusk falls over Dal Lake, the lights from nearby schools twinkle like stars – each representing a young mind being equipped not just to face the future, but to shape it. The NEP’s true test will be whether it can sustain this momentum, transforming Kashmir’s education landscape from the ground up while keeping its soul intact.

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Aiyan Gulzar Paul