The teacher who taught a village to dream

In the silent hamlet of Poshnari, nestled in the hilly stretches of the Shangus zone in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, a silent revolution in education has taken shape, one that typifies how grit, empathy, and innovation can reshape an entire community’s attitude toward schooling. At the heart of this transformation stands Riyaz Ahmad Sheikh, a government teacher whose work at PM Shri Government Middle School Poshnari redefines what public education can achieve when driven by commitment and imagination. When Sheikh first joined the school in 2009, challenges were aplenty. The institution functioning in a Scheduled Tribe–dominated hamlet where poverty, illiteracy, and social barriers especially concerning girls’ education ran deep. Only five girl students were enrolled then. Dropout rates were high, parental indifference common, and the very purpose of education seemed lost amidst hardship. Yet, Sheikh chose not to give in to these circumstances.

Through patient dialogue, home visits, and genuine community engagement, he began changing mindsets one family at a time. His compassion merged with unwavering persistence to build a bridge of trust between the school and the community. Today, that same institution proudly records 67 girl students, a statistic that is as much about social awakening as about the power of a teacher’s determination.

A Vision Rooted in Collaboration

Sheikh’s approach to transformation goes far beyond the classroom. His work makes it clear that a school flourishes when it is a shared project—of teachers, administrators, parents, and the larger system. He cultivated strong collaborations with departments like the Chief Education Office Anantnag, Rural Development, the Tourism department, Public Health Engineering, and the Deputy Commissioner’s Office to bring resources and attention to the school. He often acknowledges the role of visionary administrators in this journey. Former Deputy Commissioner Anantnag K.K. Sidha, deeply impressed by the school’s progress, sanctioned a hi-tech projector, public address system, and digital teaching aids. The current Deputy Commissioner of Anantnag, Dr. Syed Fakhrudin Hamid, further strengthened the infrastructure through smart TVs, pavement tiles, and upgraded learning facilities. That is what makes Sheikh stand out: he merges grassroots activism with institutional partnership, a rare blend in our educational landscape. All these efforts culminated in national recognition when he received the National Teacher Award 2023 from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi. At the event, Sheikh also had the opportunity to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to share his story of how a remote government school became a model for innovation.

Innovations That Inspire

What makes PM Shri Government Middle School Poshnari different today are the new interventions, imaginative concepts that make learning tangible, enjoyable, and values-based. These are not high-budget initiatives but rooted in imagination and deep insight into children’s psychology. Some of the unique interventions of the institution include:

Building as a Learning Aid

Learning starts the moment one steps into Sheikh’s school. Every wall, floor, and space speaks something related to education—numbers, alphabets, science diagrams, or cultural motifs—through Building as a Learning Aid (BaLA). Students learn subconsciously as they move through the premises, blurring the line between play and pedagogy.

The Open Library

A spacious, inviting open library serves as a haven for readers at all stages of life. Stocked with books on literature, science, and the art and storytelling of reading, it is freely accessible to every student. The goal is simple yet deep: to make reading an act of delight rather than duty.

Science Laboratory Corner

A science lab corner permits the learners to investigate, explore, and work out scientific ideas through practical work. This has transformed passive learners into active investigators, something every science teacher would dream of seeing.

Mathematics Corner

Abstract formulae meet their counterparts in real, three-dimensional models, charts, and measuring tools in the Mathematics Corner. Students play with geometry, weights, and numbers, learning that mathematics is not something to be feared; it’s fun.

Heritage and Hygiene Corners

Two distinctive spaces reflect Sheikh’s holistic vision:

Heritage Corner celebrates the local culture, crafts, and tradition, which roots the students in their identity.

Hygiene Corner: Well-stocked with commodities such as soap, toothpaste, hair oil, and lotion to make sure each child learns the dignity of self-care and health awareness.

The Honesty Box

Perhaps the most poignant intervention is something called the Honesty Box, a small container that teaches a big lesson. When a student finds something that doesn’t belong to them, they put it in this box. It is a daily exercise in integrity, reminding children that character is developed not by words but by actions.

Lessons for the Larger System

What Riyaz Ahmad Sheikh has achieved in Poshnari is more than an isolated success story. It is a blueprint for educational renewal in rural India. His work shows that transformation is possible even in the most challenging settings when schools become centres of community trust, creativity, and moral learning. His model invites policymakers and educators alike to rethink schooling not as a bureaucratic function but as a living social process, where the building itself teaches, where reading corners nurture imagination, and where values like honesty and hygiene are taught by practice, not precept. Sheikh’s journey is a reminder that true reform in education does not flow top-down, from policies alone; it often begins with a single teacher’s conviction that change is possible. His story is a tribute to thousands of unsung educators who light the lamp of learning in places where hope once flickered dimly. However, this remarkable progress needs further up-gradation in infrastructure and human resources to sustain it. The institution urgently requires additional classrooms, staff support, and modern learning tools to meet the increasing enrolment and to keep up with the quality of learning so assiduously built up by Sheikh and his team. As an educator, I believe his example reinforces an enduring truth: when schools become spaces of meaning, love, and innovation, they cease to be just institutions-they become movements.

Dr. Mushtaq Rather is an Educator