Educators at the Frontline

When teachers believe in the system, entire villages follow. Budgam’s experience proves it.

- Muntashir Kifayat Hussain

The mist was still hanging over the paddy fields when we parked at the edge of MS Nowpora Payeen in Budgam. The road ended there, so we had to continue on foot, our boots sinking into the wet earth, leaves brushing against our sleeves.

I was heading into a classroom that, by any standard, should have seemed ordinary. Instead, it felt like stepping into a revelation.

Inside, fifth and sixth grades shared a single room, two whiteboards facing different directions. I asked for a marker and called the students to attention, fully expecting the hesitation and timid whispers that usually greet strangers in rural classrooms.

I began writing long, complicated English words on the board, testing both patience and nerve. One by one, the children read them aloud, flawless, and unhesitant.

A thrill ran through me. I was witnessing something rare in government schools: audacity, curiosity, fearlessness. They challenged me, asked questions, and engaged.