Village Rangwar's Education Story Gains Ground

A MODEL FOR MOUNTAIN CLASSROOMS:

- IRFAN LONE

In the border village of Rangwar, nestled in the Drangyari belt of Kupwara district, Kashmir, education had long been compromised by decades of conflict, neglect, and fragile infrastructure.

The local government school, serving children from Class 1 to 8, consisted of four rooms, one of which was used as storage, and the remaining built with tin sheets that offered no insulation from the region's sub-zero winters. A broken tin box served as a toilet, there was no provision for drinking water, and the midday meals meant for children's nutrition were cooked in a local resident's house due to the lack of a functional kitchen. Learning resources were scarce, and most students struggled with basic reading and numeracy. While the official enrollment stood at 87, daily attendance rarely crossed 40, and the school would shut down for nearly half the year due to the extreme cold.