What J and K has shown us… When The Context Is Subtracted from Kashmir
On December 26, The Indian Express published a huge special article on the coveted Op-Ed space of the newspaper. Here is the title and the theme of the article.
In J&K, school-going innovators show the way.
From schools addressing silent deaths in the winters to providing solutions for the pressing case of flash floods – what J&K has shown us is that if we were prepared to build innovation ecosystems conducive to their context, then they have both the hunger and capability to lead the nation. These problems might be hyperlocal, but their solutions can have national and global applications
(image credit- The Indian Express , In J&K, School going innovators show the way )
The article is important just for what it states – but also for what it does not state.
The article says that schoolchildren in Kashmir are highly innovative and creative. Correct.
The article says that Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL), an initiative of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) in government schools, has played a pivotal role in nurturing innovative and creative minds. Correct.
Now to focus on what the article does not say. The article does not place the immense success of this initiative in the correct context – the abrogation of Article 370 and the freedom from terror. The article makes no reference to this crucial determinant in Kashmir.
The article does not place the immense success of this initiative in the correct context – the abrogation of Article 370 and the freedom from terror
For children to excel at school, the first imperative is that the children should be at school – not sitting at home due to forced hartals and shutdowns. Entire Kashmir knows the reason why schools are functioning round the year as per the academic calendar. Kashmir state the reason this way – Teen Sau Sattar tootne ke baad…
Atal Tinkering Labs and Atal Innovation Mission have been able to nurture innovative and creative young minds because this is post-Teen Sau Sattar Kashmir. The uninterrupted quality education of children is part of the changes brought about by the abrogation of Article 370. Admittedly, the oversight may be inadvertent on the part of the writers.
The Woke Dogma
Over the last few years, it has been observed – within India and globally – that it isn’t woke to refer to the abrogation of Article 370 in a positive way. Where Kashmir is concerned, the central preoccupation of the woke crowd is to attack the Indian state. The woke positioning is that the abrogation of Article 370 eroded the liberties of the Kashmiri people.
This is not the truth, and the Kashmiris know it. An old English phrase captures this duplicity of the woke constituency well. ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating.’ The real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results and not from appearance or theory.
The practical experience of the abrogation is the normalization of Kashmir, with political stability and economic resurgence. Peace and harmony have brought cultural renaissance across the Valley. But woke strategies are at work to refute this at every platform. Villainizing the Indian state continues to function as the intellectual matrix for wokeism.
The Writers Highlight An Important Development
The article has been written by Mr Chintan Vaishnav and Mr Suman Pandit. The duo work at Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. The article brings forth an important development that has largely been ignored by national media.
“What is transforming this land renowned for its picturesque landscapes and vibrant culture into a hub of innovation and creativity? It is the efforts of the governments, schools and community organisations. In recent years, J&K has undertaken ambitious initiatives to revolutionise the education sector, providing quality schooling closer to students’ homes, and focusing on skill-based education and hands-on learning.”
With these words, the writers bring to the fore the huge strides made by the J&K UT Administration in ensuring quality education for children. What is not known outside Kashmir is that before the abrogation of Article 370, middle class Kashmiri parents used to feel helpless, faced by the lackadaisical attitude of many government school teachers towards educating children.
Teacher absenteeism or disinterest towards the profession was common across Kashmir before the abrogation of Article 370. In the last few years, the situation has significantly improved with emphasis of the J&K UT Administration on regular attendance and high performance of teachers. The proper functioning of government schools has been appreciated by parents, and student enrolment has increased. The performance of the children in innovative and creative activities like Atal Tinkering Labs is part of the resurgence across Kashm
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