Rural Kashmir’s schools: Overcrowded, crumbling, neglected

Anantnag, Dec 1: In a stark reflection of the poor state of education in rural Kashmir, several government schools continue to function from overcrowded, old, and dilapidated residential houses, lacking even the most basic facilities.

One such example is the Government High School Poru Kalnag in Kokernag, which operates from a cramped seven-room residential house.

Established as a primary school in 1962, it was upgraded to a middle school in 2008 and further to a high school in 2012.

Despite these upgrades, the school remains in the same rented building.

With a student roll of 140 and nine teachers, including a headmaster, the school faces severe space constraints, significantly hampering education.

“Three crucial teaching posts – master grade - remain vacant and other staff is working on a deployment basis,” a teacher said

He said that the school lacks a library, a laboratory, and a playground.

Even basic amenities like washrooms for students and staff are missing, and the kitchen for the Mid-Day Meal scheme operates from a small tin shed.

“Most students here come from poor families who cannot afford private schools or travel to distant institutions,” said Abdul Rehman, a local. “In winter, children shiver in the cold. Are these students children of a lesser God?”

The situation is equally grim at other schools.

The Government Primary School, Drangund Mohalla, with just 15 students, and the Government Primary School, Kokad Mohalla, with 13 students, also operate from rented, crumbling residential houses in the Kalnag area.

These schools lack essential facilities like water, electricity, and washrooms.

The Government Middle School, Adigam Kokernag, established as a primary school in 1952 and upgraded in 2006, continues to operate from a four-room rented residential house.

The school has 80 students and seven teachers, but only two of the six sanctioned posts are filled, with others on deployment or posted elsewhere.

“There isn’t proper space for staff, and the school operates without a library and a laboratory,” a teacher said.

Despite repeated pleas, no progress has been made in constructing new school buildings.

According to officials, over 150 schools across south Kashmir operate without their own buildings, with 70 of them in Anantnag district alone.

Most of these buildings are old residential houses and are on the verge of collapse.

Chief Education Officer (CEO) Anantnag, Kamal Kishore Badiyal, told Greater Kashmir that the Education Department was compiling data on schools functioning in rented buildings.

“Land availability remains a significant issue in most cases,” he said.