SRINAGAR: 60 students from kindergarten to Class 5 are enrolled at the Government Primary School in Chunttiwari, Bandipora. Head teacher Nisar Ahmad says, “Most of whom walk nearly three kilometres to attend. With only two teachers and three classrooms, it is difficult to give students the attention they need.”
Besides, there is no washroom facility, forcing students, particularly girls, to relieve themselves in the open.”
Across Kashmir, schools in tribal areas face systemic neglect. A field visit to Bandipora and Anantnag reveals conditions that make education a daily struggle.
In Chechinar, Bandipora, the situation is similar.
“Our school has 100 students from nine classes, but only four teachers and three rooms. Each room is divided with plywood, and two classes are taught in the same space at the same time. Sometimes we have to shift students to the veranda,” said Syed Ubaid ul Hassan, head teacher, Government Boys Middle School.
Parents are also concerned about the lack of access to high schools, which are often 15 kilometres away.
Mohammad Altaf Chechi, whose children study at the Government Boys Middle School, Chechinar, said, “Two classes are conducted in the same room at the same time. If students somehow complete class 8, they have to travel nearly 15 kilometres to Aloosa for high school something most families cannot afford.”
This is one of the biggest reasons children dropout of school. “We need proper infrastructure, computer labs, sports grounds, and regular activities like in towns,” he says.
Even students recognise the unfairness. Nisar Ahmad Chaichi, class 8 student, added, “We often have three classes in one room. Without playgrounds, washrooms, or enough teachers, it’s hard to learn properly. We want to compete at the national level, but without support, we are left behind.”
For nomadic Bakerwal families, education is even more fragile.
In Daksum, Anantnag, Shabir Ahmad Awan said, “Every year, 22 families migrate with livestock to the forests. Our children study in a mobile tent school with one teacher for 20 students. During heavy rains, we fear the tent will collapse.”
For them, the make-shift schools mostly operating out of tents are hardly a solution. “At least one permanent classroom of bricks and cement should be made so our children can study without fear,” Awan said.
18-year-old Shabnam Sidiq, a tribal Bakerwal girl, who secured an admirable 92.6% in the Arts stream in her Class 12 exams earlier this year, looks back to the time she had to study beneath the plastic sheet of a tarpaulin tent, with no electricity, no separate study space, and no access to coaching.
“As a tribal girl, we often migrate from one place to another. It becomes quite difficult for school-going children to maintain consistency in studies. The schools I went to had only three rooms for 50 students and just three teachers,” she said.
Shabnam’s early schooling began at the Government Primary School in Kathward, her village two kilometres away. The school had bare walls, rough floors, no washrooms, and only three teachers for over 150 children.
She completed both primary and middle school in the same setting of small rooms, no space for art or skills, no playground. Yet she persisted.
Few years ago, when her family abandoned the migratory way of life and took a static move to Kathward Pulwama, Shabnam finally found a cozier study environment. She not only moved to the higher secondary school in Tral, she also finally had a safe place for studying.
“It’s been a tough journey,” she said, as she looked back at the struggles of studying under tarpaulin tents and in the next minute, starry-eyed, she speaks of a future with aspirations of becoming an IAS officer.
“It couldn’t have been possible without my father, who had faith in my studies and chose to settle down as a daily-wage labourer so that I could study,” she said.
Her father, Mohammad Sidiq, looks on proudly and adds, “I’ll continue to support her despite my meagre resources.”
Shabnam is a rare example of success in the tribal community that faces the bleak prospects of poverty coupled with little opportunity.
Kifayat Ullah Malik, a social activist working with a Delhi-based NGO, said that existing policies fail to address the ground situation.
“The main issue remains the imbalance between the number of students and the limited number of teachers, which affects individual skill development and attention,” he said.
Additionally, the harsh winter months, during which heavy snowfall prevents students from attending school for four months, make the situation worse.
“I believe that existing policies need to be tailored to address these specific challenges. The current top-down approach should be replaced with a bottom-up approach that considers the realities faced by tribal communities. Expanding the capacity of tribal hostels and introducing scholarships for all tribal students, rather than just a few, are essential steps toward improving educational outcomes,” he added.
Even officials admit that tribal education needs special attention.
Naseem Choudhary, ZEO Kangan in Ganderbal, said, “There are several factors contributing to low school attendance among tribal students. One significant issue is the lack of parental involvement, as many parents are illiterate and unable to support their children’s education.”
While private tutoring is available, most tribal parents cannot track their children’s academic progress due to their own educational limitations. Poverty also plays a major role, as parents often work in labour-intensive jobs to meet basic needs, leaving little time for their children’s education.
"Although the government provides free textbooks and has introduced centrally sponsored schemes, these measures are not enough to address the deeper issues," tribal activists opine.
The absence of residential schools further complicates the situation. For example, in the Kangan area of Ganderbal, two residential hostels with a capacity of 100 beds each have been sanctioned but still remain under construction.
Moreover, the seasonal schools operate for six months from May to October, with 34 centres currently functioning in Kangan. Paid educational volunteers are available to teach students during their migration to highland pastures, Choudhary points out.
Distance to higher secondary schools is another challenge, as families often cannot afford transportation costs. These issues are prevalent across both Kashmir and Jammu regions for tribal children, he added.
The New Education Policy, which calls for the establishment of separate tribal hostels. Implementation of such policies is necessary across Jammu and Kashmir. Choudhary says, "if the educational policies are adapted accordingly, things may change."
From Pulwama to Bandipora, Anantnag to Ganderbal, the picture is consistent: too few teachers, unsafe buildings, no toilets, and no digital learning facilities. While government schemes bring textbooks and digital boards, many remain unused due to lack of training facilities.
As Shabnam put it “We have the talent, but not the facilities. If tribal students were given the same opportunities as city schools, many more could become doctors, engineers, and IAS officers.”
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