Education in J&K that remained hi-jacked for years together

The education in Jammu and Kashmir has always become causality with schools and coaching centres remaining mostly closed for one reason or the other.
There are certain things that kept the gates of Schools closed for months together and the main reasons behind the closures of educational institutions were the frequent shutdowns being called by separatist leaders to protest against different issues.
Any government’s decision, which could have been opposed in a proper way, would witness complete shutdown across Kashmir, which didn’t only affect the economy of J&K, but also affected the educational system in Jammu and Kashmir.
The shutdowns sometimes continued for months together, but ended without any concrete meaning, thus only left the students to suffer in absence of the schools, colleges and other educational institutions.
The month-long protest calls being given by the separatists either jointly or separately, has kept students away from the educational institutions, which not only affected their schooling, but also pushed many among them to become stone throwers and some even got radicalized to a large extent and picked up guns in the end.
After pushing them away from the educational institutions, it was becoming easier for some people to push the youngsters in different paths, which not only destroyed their lives, but also shattered the dreams of several families as well.
Interestingly, those involved in ensuring shutdowns, had already taken their kids to different countries for education and thus faced no issues in ensuring that the education of their wards are not affected anyhow.
The youth, who left their education midway, couldn’t realize the process of radicalization, going on for years together, but joined militant groups and later reached home dead.
The radicalization by pushing the students away from education has left many families heartbroken as there has been no one in their homes now to earn the bread and butter for them.
Shutdowns and the protests were not the only means to radicalize the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, but different platforms too were being used for the youth to get radicalized.
It has been reported in the past that some of the educational institutions, being run by the private persons, have been used for radicalizing the youth as the reports suggest that many youngsters, who were pursuing their education there, have later picked up arms.
In such an atmosphere, it was not possible for the school administrations to ensure national level like events at the institute, which not only kept the students away from atmosphere, but at present they are lagging behind the students from other States of the country.
There are several instances when the schools across Jammu and Kashmir were even torched, but nobody could dare to take a legal action against those involved in the act as it was looking like that some people on the ground have hi-jacked the educational system in Jammu and Kashmir, giving an impression that every decision with regard to the schooling will be taken by these persons.
The impact of such a situation on education is often overlooked. Education in such times could have become a sustainable tool for achieving 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. It impacts students’ academic performance as well as their psycho–social developments.
The educational system in Jammu and Kashmir has been only tool with the government to change the earlier narrative and ensure that the situation is perfectly changed on the ground, which helps in putting an end to the previous ideology and ensuring better future to the youth as well as the reformation in education system, which continued to be manipulated for years together, thus only keeping the younger generations in dark.
The time has come to see the light of education and the doors are now open again for the children without any hindrance to guide the youngsters to walk on the path of light and defeat the ill-designs of some anti-social elements.
(The writer is executive editor Lake City Times and can be reached at [email protected])