Why Kashmir’s Schools Must Change

A documentary about social media fame reveals how schools can nurture confidence and self-expression alongside academics.

- Inshallah Azhar

Last week, I found myself in a packed hall at the University of Kashmir, attending a film festival organized by the Media Education Research Centre.

Various documentaries and short films were being screened, each followed by lively discussions between students and scholars.

I wandered among the audience, notebook in hand, ready to capture impressions. One documentary, in particular, stayed with me long after the lights came back on. Its title was almost casual: Hello Guyzz.

The film follows the life of a married woman from a middle-class family. She started making TikTok videos and went viral.

Her journey was far from easy. Family opposition, even physical abuse from her husband and relatives, could not shake her resolve. She continued creating content, learning along the way, refining her voice, and growing ever more confident.

I do not advocate that every woman in Kashmir follow her path or make similar content. Our society has deep cultural and religious traditions that guide public behaviour.

Still, her story illuminates a universal truth: confidence and courage are skills in themselves, and they can flourish outside conventional education.

Many viewers might dismiss her success as trivial. After all, TikTok videos are short, informal, and often unpolished.

But speaking confidently into a camera and sharing ideas with an audience is far from easy. It requires overcoming hesitation, fear, and self-doubt, barriers that many students in our schools face every day.