Facebook Pixel {العنوان: سلسلة} | {اسم المغناطيس: سلسلة} - {الفئة: سلسلة} - اقرأ هذه القصة على Magzter.com

يحاول ذهب - حر

The Case of Empty Desks

November 19,2025 Issue

|

Kashmir Observer

Attendance is Kashmir’s first education challenge, and it demands more empathy than enforcement.

- Bashir Ahmad Dar

The Case of Empty Desks

Low attendance in schools often looks like a simple case of missing students. A teacher marks the register, counts the empty seats, and moves on with the lesson.

The National Education Policy 2020 does not fix a specific attendance bar for students to sit in exams. It leaves the number open, and does something more important.

It asks schools and families to understand why a child stays home in the first place.

This shift matters for Kashmir, where thin attendance has shaped the lives of students for decades.

Notably, attendance across India falls short of what a healthy learning system needs. Studies show a worrying pattern.

In many rural districts, between 4.73 and 17.84 percent of students in primary and upper primary classes stay absent almost every day.

Another nationwide review found that attendance has been stuck around 72 percent for years even though enrolment touches 98 percent.

Delhi offers its own sharp picture. In the 2022-23 school year, more than 3.48 lakh students in government schools were tagged “chronically absent.” A year later, the count rose to more than 6.6 lakh.

Kashmir has its own story inside these numbers.

Attendance thins for reasons tied to life at home, distance from school, and the way classrooms function.

The result is the same everywhere: lost learning, weaker confidence, and habits that travel into adulthood.

Poverty often keeps children out of school. In many parts of the valley, kids take on adult responsibilities earlier than expected. Families running orchards, farms, shops, or small businesses rely heavily on their youngest members.

المزيد من القصص من Kashmir Observer

Kashmir Observer

Kashmir Observer

PM Modi Urges Industry to Boost Investment, Focus on R&D

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged industry leaders to step up investments, embrace emerging technologies and prioritise research to leverage the vast opportunities offered by free trade agreements with various nations.

time to read

1 mins

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Kashmir Observer

Study Links Chronic Kidney Disease With Cognitive Impairment

Advancing of chronic kidney disease may be linked to an increase in cognitive impairment, such as problems with attention, processing speed and executive function, according to a study.

time to read

1 mins

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Safety Of 1 Cr Indians In Gulf Top Priority: Govt

As the conflict in West Asia intensified, India on Tuesday emphasised the interest of one crore Indian nationals in the region and voiced concern over possible disruptions in energy supplies because it could have serious consequences for the Indian economy.

time to read

1 min

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Srinagar Police Registers FIR against Misinformation Network

In a major crackdown on fake news, Srinagar Police has registered a case against a network of news channels, media outlets, and individuals for allegedly spreading misinformation to disrupt peace in the valley.

time to read

1 min

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

A Skyline Out of Sync

Srinagar has placed a corrugated metal roof on a 600-year-old mosque, and many locals feel hurt and angry.

time to read

2 mins

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Kashmir Observer

37 Indian-Flagged Ships Stranded in Persian Gulf Amid Conflict

As many as 37 Indian-flagged ships with over 1,000 seafarers are stuck in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the adjoining sea areas as the key shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz is closed due to the ongoing military actions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

time to read

1 mins

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Kashmir Observer

Fliers From Dubai Recollect Horrific Experience of Explosions

Chennai,; Whether the transit passenger or a family enjoying a holiday in Dubai~ the armed conflict in middle east Asia threw a spanner in their plans to return home, with fliers stranded there amid explosions before resuming that long journey back home.

time to read

2 mins

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Kashmir Observer

PCB to Impose Penalties on Pak Players For T20 Debacle

Livid with the Pakistan team's early elimination from the T20 World Cup, the country's cricket board has decided to impose financial penalties on the players for their below-par show, with some sources saying that the amount could be as high as PKR 5 million (approximately USD 18000) per member.

time to read

1 min

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Protests in Rajouri Against Killing of Ayatollah Khamenei

Protests erupted in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir Rajouri district on Tuesday against the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei.

time to read

1 min

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Kashmir Observer

Kashmir Observer

Real Madrid Suffer Back-To-Back Defeats, Lose Ground In Title Race

Real Madrid fell to a damaging 1-0 defeat by Getafe at home in La Liga on Monday, leaving them four points behind leaders Barcelona.

time to read

2 mins

MARCH 4, 2026 ISSUE

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size