Kashmir’s Private School Moment

As PSAJK prepares for internal elections, the sector has an opportunity to strengthen transparency, improve teacher welfare and build a more organized education system.

- Farooq Ahmad Ashai

Three decades ago, private schools entered Kashmir as cautious experiments in a government-run landscape. Today they anchor much of the valley's learning.

They absorbed overflow from crowded public classrooms, introduced computers in villages still waiting for reliable electricity, and built science labs and English programs that opened pathways for Kashmiri students across India.

Perhaps their greatest gift has been genuine opportunity.

A student in a remote mountain village now accesses the same quality of education as a child in Delhi. She competes for engineering seats at top universities and applies for scholarships abroad. These possibilities once seemed distant dreams.

Behind every successful graduate stands a dedicated professional who chose teaching over more lucrative paths.

Kashmir's private schools employ thousands of highly educated staff: PhD holders guide middle schoolers through biology experiments, M.Com graduates keep administrative offices running, and MBA holders coordinate complex academic programs.

These are some of the valley's brightest minds, and they have happily chosen classrooms over corporate careers. And this choice holds real significance for the community.

Private schools employ hundreds of fresh graduates each year, providing meaningful work that keeps talented young people in the region. These educators guide students in classrooms, counselors support them through academic pressure, and together they build careers that strengthen local society.

But serious challenges remain visible to anyone paying attention.