The educational system of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is facing serious challenges. The government schools in the area are weighed down with old syllabi and system inefficiencies, which have led to growing numbers of parents looking for private schools as the only acceptable option for good quality education for their children. But in place of a genuine alternative, the private schooling system has resulted in an exploitative trend whereby accessibility and affordability are crying issues.
Falling Standards in Government Schools
Government schools in PoJK have been suffering from systematic neglect, infrastructure shortages, and long-term underfunding. The curriculum is still archaic, not teaching students contemporary skills or readying them to cope with competitive educational and professional environments. Additionally, teacher absenteeism, political meddling, and poor supervision have also contributed to the decline of the sector. Despite assurances by the government to revamp the education sector, little has been done, and the learning environment is still not favorable for the students.
All the schools lack well-qualified teachers, decrepit buildings, and inadequate learning materials. Failing any sincere attempt at a solution, the schools continue losing face, forcing desperate parents to resort to private schools despite the financial struggle.
Exploitation in Private Schools
Although private schools first came across as a respite forailing government schools, their quick commercialization has led to children and parents being exploited by them. Undue fees, secret charges, and justifiable increase in fees are the order of the day now, rendering quality education a luxury and not a right.
Most private schools are unregulated and driven by profit margins more than pedagogy. The instructors are usually overworked and underpaid, and the quality of instruction suffers. Coercive tactics such as retention of students' records against non-payment of fees, economic extortion of parents, are also followed in certain schools.
Insufficient data presented by the state has allowed private institutions to go unaccounted for. With increasing demands for reform, governments have failed to institute regulatory systems that ensure quality and affordability.
The Consequences for Students
The implications of this education crisis are serious. As government schools are not delivering even minimum standards of education and private schools are becoming exorbitant, a high percentage of students in PoJK are now facing academic deprivation. The majority of families, being incapable of meeting the expenses of private schooling, are compelled to withdraw children out of formal education altogether, thus contributing to child labor and illiteracy.
Additionally, students in PoJK are being denied the right to compete with their peers elsewhere. Lack of quality education is not just an educational problem but a socioeconomic one that threatens the future of the young generation.
The Need for Immediate Reforms
Educating the PoJK crisis calls for a multi-faceted approach. Reform in government schools must be the highest priority of the government by way of new curricula, better teacher training programs, and proper infrastructure. Concurrently, strict regulation of private schools must be done so as not to leave space for exploitative behavior and fee disclosure.
The establishment of scholarship programs and scholarship schemes for economically disadvantaged students can also close the gap between accessibility and quality education. Additionally, promoting community-based educational schemes can act as an auxiliary support system for disadvantaged students.
Unless drastic action is initiated, the learning gap in PoJK will further increase, and a whole generation will be at risk of being left behind. The time for reforms is now—before the harm is done irretrievably.