IMPACT OF INSURGENCY ON EDUCATION IN KASHMIR
Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India that has made education free to all its citizens at all levels. Nonetheless, literacy at 54% lags behind the all-India level of 65%. The impact of conflict on school education is often overlooked. 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 hope and positivity as well as offering opportunity to the youth who are surrounded by violence. One of the major challenges of education in situation of conflict is the discontinuities it creates. These impact students academic performance as well as their Psyco-Social developments.
Militancy crippled the education of this generation. Through the first half of 1990s, the schools were either closed, or the roads leading to them were closed. That is in case they were not destroyed by arson the night before. Even when open, there were repeated searches or crackdown, or the soldiers will set up temporary camps in school buildings. The examination system was hijacked by use of force till mid 1990s and later subverted in other ways.
Youth fell into the ‘gun culture’ of the late 1980s, which eventually lead to the insurgency and consequential military uprising during the 1990s. Several hundred damaged or burnt down school buildings in the 1990s had negative implications to the overall education system, all of which were related to the ongoing conflict in Kashmir. The result was an educational system which struggled for funds. Though a lot of infrastructure came up during the succeeding years, the crying needs for educational aids, resources and faculty enhancement programs were utterly neglected. When Indian Army inaugurated the first army school in Kashmir in early 2008, it paved the path for a resurrection of education system in Kashmir which was totally demolished by two decades of insurgency.
By the time the government attempted to make amends, a large number of young teachers had been produced by the flawed system, giving rise to the problem of the quality of educators. The pressure of parents and society resulted in students pushing for medicine, engineering or computer science before finally opting for arts. Insightful analysis, rigorous research and critical questioning were the casualties of the times. Thus, a generation left the educational institutions with degrees but was trained against independent thinking. The hollowing of the educational system meant that scores of young people roamed around with degrees but were barely employable. It did not stop them, though from thinking, that the Government owed them a job.
The education system has slowly rebuilt itself after the two decades of continuous violence and uprisings. In the past decade, over 3,500 primary schools have been opened and over 3,300 middle and high schools have been renovated with substantial funding from the Indian Government. As a result, the dropout rate from schools in Jammu and Kashmir decreased from 19% in 2003 to 5% in 2008.
The process of education in Kashmir since past as well as in current are facing a herculean challenge from the insurgency and the question here arises how to tackle this challenge in order to bring improvement in this field. In fact the insurgency in past as well as in today is a major obstacle which turned the education of valley in to a detestable condition. In last two years, COVID pandemic has even further paralyzed the education system which was slowly starting to return on the gauge.
Now onus lies on the government to develop a concrete strategy towards educational sector of Kashmir and Indian Army to play a pivotal role in securing a safe passage for the government agencies to function effectively by thwarting the diabolical intentions of the insurgents. Innovative and creative educational initiatives and their effective use can break the legacy of violence and mistrust in Kashmir. As quoted by former Indian President, Smt Pratibha Patil, “Education is a key to Kashmir’s peace and prosperity”.
– CAPT TUSHAR BAJPAI
BIBLOGRAPHY
1. Wikipedia.
2. Articles published in various online platforms to include Indian Express, NBC News, NDTV News, the Hindu, the wire.
3. Blogs on open sources.
