Jammu and Kashmir: Conflict and its casualty

The Indian government while abrogating Article 370 in August last year had claimed ‘development’ to be its motive. Its decision was, however, followed by a complete lockdown and communications blockade in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, now split into two Union Territories, J&K and Ladakh -- a move completely opposite in intent and effect to what the government had claimed them to be. The lockdown and blockade totally halted every activity in the Valley, which in no way could have led to the ‘development’ that had been promised. An irony of words and actions. But this kind of irony has been Kashmir’s lot for a long time. The conflict has had its serious effects on almost every aspect of life in the Valley. Be it on tourism, the backbone of Kashmir’s industry, be it the world-famous Kashmiri horticulture, or its business and industry. But for anyone familiar with Kashmir, it won't be hard to comprehend that it is the Kashmiri children’s education that has been the worst hit. The other sectors, with some time and effort, can be brought back on track. But in education, the effect of years of strife cannot be reversed. Can the days and months and years that students have lost be retrieved? And what about the students who couldn't continue studies due to the everyday incidents of violence?

Education, like almost all other sectors, was severely affected following the rise of the separatist movement in the Kashmir Valley. According to a report in the Free Press Journal of February 2, 1992, of the 11,422 schools in the Valley then, more than half had been wrecked by mysterious fires and bomb blasts – in less than two years after the start of militancy. A number of government colleges, including the prestigious Islamia College of Science and Commerce, also suffered damage during this time. Another report in the Saudi Gazette of January 24, 1993, mentioned the following with regard to educational institutes in the Valley during that time. “Crackdowns on a locality meant the closure of schools within an area of 2 km. In most cases, armed rebels would inform the school management well in advance about their operations. Many schools were set on fire following the apprehensions of security forces occupying these buildings.”

The functioning of educational institutions during this time was frequently interrupted by the military crackdowns on the militants. This period also saw a large number of school buildings being occupied by the security forces. Apart from these hindrances, it could not have been possible to open educational institutions because of the almost daily strikes, curfews and restrictions, encounters and crackdowns.

While the 1990s saw the destruction of schools, educational institutions being occupied by the forces, or caught in the crossfire between military and militants, the 2000s saw a kind of implicit form of damage to education. With the advent of the new century, the influence of guns came down, but there was little change in the condition of education. The biggest damage to education during this time was in the form of there being very few working days, due to hartals and curfews.

The schools and colleges remained close for countless days. This trend of strikes and restrictions heightened in 2008 and was the order of the day well into the 2010s. Over the years, schools and colleges have functioned for fewer and fewer days each year. The numerous and frequent shutdown calls by the Hurriyat leadership and the curfews imposed by the government ensured that the locks on the gates of educational institutions stayed for most of the time.

According to data available with a local private school in Srinagar city, the number of working days in schools each year is as low as about 90 days. Sharp dips were experienced in the number of school days in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2019. The average number of working school days in India is about 222 days. This is the sad state of education in Kashmir.

One can imagine the amount of time a Kashmiri student misses out on his or her studies due to the insufficient number of school days. These losses are compensated either with assignments to be completed independently or by reducing the syllabus. The prescribed syllabus is rushed through very quickly or the students are asked to complete it by themselves. There have also been years – in fact, three years – when the state simply resorted to mass promotions of students to the next class. Self-study assignments, reducing the syllabus, or mass promotions don’t compensate for the loss of proper schooling and learning that the students have suffered. Of course, online classes could have been of great help, but the availability of the internet in the state, especially in the Valley, has always been an uncertain thing. And since the last year, even that uncertain, patchy connection has been taken away from the people.

While the conflict has seen different phases in the Valley -- from the gun being dominant in the early 1990s to the mass public uprisings in the latter half of that decade to the gun again becoming dominant now, the crippled condition of education has remained constant. And while ‘development’ has been the slogan of the Indian government in the Valley, its decision of August 5, 2019, has meant that educational institutions have remained shut for the most part since. It is hard to think of a community with a strangled education sector as being on the path of development and peace.

(The writer is a student at Jamia Milia University, Delhi)