Urgent Need for Reform in Elementary Education in Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar, India Jul 31, 2026 ALN: Urgent Need for Reform in Elementary Education in Jammu and Kashmir

A child at the age of about four years comes to us and spends six conscious hours with us. After spending about four years with us, if the student does not know letters, words, or simple subtractions, who is to be blamed the most? According to ASER 2024, over 52% of Standard 8 students in Jammu and Kashmir cannot read Standard 2 text, and over 70% cannot solve simple mathematics questions. The foundation is where the problem begins.

The School Education Department leaves no stone unturned, but we as educators need to be consistent and innovative. There should be regular inspection of elementary schools at least once a week. Trainers at DIET should be intellectuals who work at the ground level. Zonal-level resource persons should be given the responsibility of owning schools to make Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) effective. The problem cannot be solved by framing content in cozy rooms with no results at the ground level.

The education sector in Jammu and Kashmir, where the educator plays a pivotal role, needs serious pondering. We as educators sometimes fail to give concrete explanations for our failures. Most of us have forgotten to play the pivotal “hub role” in keeping the wheel of education rolling successfully in Jammu and Kashmir. Though some are trying, the results are not as substantial as required.

A child at the age of about four years comes to us and spends six conscious hours with us. It is an observed fact that a child aged four to ten requires twelve hours of healthy sleep, two hours for eating, and four hours for relaxing and playing. The arithmetic is simple: most of the conscious hours are spent with teachers in school. After spending about four years with us, if the student does not know letters, words, or simple subtractions, who is to be blamed the most? The parents, the teachers, or the student?

This is not something said in the air but is supported by the data put forward by the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir. ASER is the largest citizen-led household survey of children. It brings learning to the forefront of policy and education discourse at national and international levels. According to ASER, 16.3% of children in Standard 1 do not recognise even letters. Among children in Standard 3, 21.7% can read letters but not words, and 31.5% can read words but not Standard 1 level text. Over 52% of Standard 8 students cannot read Standard 2 text. Furthermore, 29.3% of Standard 8 students cannot recognise numbers from 11 to 99, 32.6% cannot do subtraction, and 35.8% cannot do division. Over 70% of Standard 8 students cannot solve simple mathematics questions.

This is not something that can be hidden. The School Education Department (SED) of Jammu and Kashmir leaves no stone unturned, but we as educators need to be consistent and innovative to bring out good results in future surveys. Good results can be obtained only when pre-primary and primary schooling are given top priority, as they are the bedrock of development.

In our country, policymakers have realised the importance of a child’s early years. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 made it clear that Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is important for children from the age of three upwards. A great deal of brain development occurs before the age of six and is, therefore, a key milestone. The simple steps that are possible in Jammu and Kashmir, aligned with NEP 2020, which can be beneficial for ECCE and lay a strong foundation, are as follows:

Classroom Environment

An ECCE classroom is a learning space that is vibrant and play-based for children aged three to six. The classroom should be bright, safe, and colourful. It must instil an aesthetic sense in children. It is rightly said: “To attract butterflies, beautify your garden.” The chairs should be child-sized with low display boards. Learning materials should include blocks, puzzles, and other sensory items to build motor and cognitive skills.

Many government schools, unfortunately, have classrooms for ECCE that do not fulfil the requisite conditions and are shabby. The teacher needs to be responsible. It does not take much—only a sincere effort from our side.

The ECCE Teacher

An ECCE teacher is a storyteller, a vibrant personality, enthusiastic, joyful, and trained. The ECCE teacher must possess specialised pedagogical skills, empathy, and formal training. The focus is on play-based and activity-based learning. The ECCE teacher must have multilingual competency. The best in the business should teach ECCE classes. However, in our case, it is the other way round. The best educators teach higher classes and shy away from foundation classes.

Importance Of Trainings

Quality training imparted to elementary teachers is very important. The SED should take serious steps for selecting trainers. The trainers at DIET (District Institute of Education and Training) should be intellectuals and experienced individuals from the department—intellectuals who work at the ground level. The problem cannot be solved by framing content in cozy rooms with no results at the ground level.

Regular Inspection Of Schools

There should be regular inspection of elementary schools, at least once a week. The inspectors (Zonal Education Officers, etc.) should be trained by state-level institutes of training to carry out effective implementation of NEP 2020 at ECCE levels.

Role Of Resource Persons

Zonal-level resource persons should spend their time among these classes. They should be given the responsibility of owning schools based on their potential. One resource person in a zone can own three schools to make ECCE effective.

For fruitful and successful results, the level from age three to six, where most brain development takes place, is a bedrock. It is a fountain from which sweet water rushes out if taken care of.

The writer is an educator at the Boys High School, Narbal