The beauty of a place is a blend of scenic pleasure and educated people, not to confuse with the term ‘literate’. However, how do we discover the educated people in a land where opportunities of development were yet to reach and discovering great minds of Kashmir was lost in the mayhem of projecting differences? Of course, the things have changed now, and changes are yet to follow with the effort of discovering a new educated, prospering and beautifully united Kashmir.Every citizen of India must put little steps towards discovering a new Kashmir- Kashmir free from negative connotations.
None can deny the fact that whenever we used to speak about Jammu and Kashmir before the creation of the new map of India, we used to attribute this beautiful land with heaven as well as hell. Militancy, deaths, unemploy ability, lack of good universities, colleges and fear including worse climatic conditions in winter seemed to have ruled the Heaven thus weakening the education standard of the students.
Violence followed by curfews and shutdowns kept students inside their houses, thus keeping the aspiring students and their parents under constant worry and fear. If we go back to the days in the year 1990s and 2000s till 2017, we can’t stay blind to the disturbances that had gravely interrupted the smooth running of the schools, colleges and universities.
The Government had no way but to pass orders to keep the educational institutions closed as precautionary measures against protests and violence. With such situations in the valley, can we dream of prosperity and career victories? Fear occupied the minds substituting beautiful dreams of the future. The well to do families could, however, take the opportunities to send their children out of Kashmir to the well-known institutions of the Nation or to the foreign universities.
But the same couldn’t be afforded by all. But, how long can we let our own brothers and sisters suffer and stay helpless criticising the government and the situations? Don’t you think this to be bearing inequality in the same nation?
With the abolition of article 370 in the valley, we must find out ways of developing the standard of living and education in Kashmir rather than wasting our time and efforts in protesting for and against. Violence, chaos and protests can never bring benefits to the people. Sensible steps must be taken to discover innovative ways to standardize the education system of the valley and make Kashmir a literary and creative hub. Let us discover a few ways to make the valley a learning ground for the new generation.
- Introduce Literary Events:Multi Cultural Literary Events would act as a powerful tool to promote unity and empathy among the people of the nation. Such events will enliven the valley with music and poetry replacing the sounds of guns and protests. It will cultivate in us the ability of acceptance-acceptance of each and every citizen of our Nation to be our own but never an outsider. Such events will help us to build emotional connections and thus promote cross cultural bonds, discarding all differences.
There are many creative talents in Jammu and Kashmir who are rich in poetry and writing. They would get a platform to showcase their creativity and would grab opportunities to participate in such events conducted Nation wise thus enriching the culture of the valley.
- Begin Skill Development Institutions:A trained mind is the best way to innovations and progress.Skill Development Training institutions by trained trainers will enhance the Employability Quotient and gradually produce skilled manpower. Every college and university must have their placement cells so that the students are employable as per the need of the employers from various industries. With the skill development trainings, the youth will gain confidence and will become competent. They will move towards visionary leadership than the leaders of the daily chaotic crowd or riots. we must equip the students with hand-on-skills so that they are prepared to enter their field of professional interest and grow as entrepreneurs too. Such institutions will play the role of increasing efficiency and productivity which will lead to a sound economic development in the valley.
- Online tutorials or Flip Teaching:The smooth running of the educational institutions in Kashmir is also impeded by the adverse climatic condition, when the roads are blocked by heavy snow fall. Could anyone ever challenge the Nature? In such conditions, the students must be introduced to online tutorials through which the courses can be continued, and the students can approach for any study support. Flip teaching is again a good medium to recover the losses of the missed classes. It involves students watching lecture videos at homes sent by their respective subject teachers.By adopting these measures, we can help the students keep in touch with the classrooms thereby helping them to complete their framed syllabus.
- Online Job Portals: The government must assure that the online job portals are activated during emergency so that the job seekers are updated with the regular availability of jobs. Through this platform, the recruiters will be able to find the right candidate with the required skills, and the aspirants of Kashmir will be able to grab the right opportunities. Such portals can be uploaded on mobile phones and the youth can make the best use of the portal.
- Events and Shows:Various cultural and award events and shows must be conducted at regular intervals to encourage the people putting their efforts towards the development of the valley. For example, the most successful entrepreneur of Kashmir, the best principal among all the schools, the best social worker, teacher and awards of many such categories. Such events will keep motivating the youth to bring out their unique ideas for the growth of the future of the children in Kashmir.
- Social Organizations:The educated people must take the lead to form social organizations to help the people in need. Funds should be raised; volunteers must come out and the Government must aid such organizations to serve the needy.
- Introduce Vocational Trainings: There is no dearth of artistic hands in Kashmir. The handicrafts of Kashmir are famous all over the world. The splendid work of shawls, wooden furniture, papier-Mache and various other artistic products make the valley rich in art and craft. Vocational trainings for the best use of this talent can be given to the people of the valley who look forward to establishing their own business or set up a self-help group centre.
- Women Empowerment Programs:Every girl has the right to education and every woman must possess the right to grow professionally. Women Empowerment programs must be conducted at various levels and locations to empower women and make them feel worthy of themselves. Programs to educate women, develop their multi skills and utilize their talents must reach every woman so that they can equally contribute to the development of the valley as well as their homes. Programs to encourage them to come out of their shelters and training them in various fields will help them to grow as women entrepreneurs or work at different fields of interest.
- Discovering Volunteer Career Workshops: Career Workshops must be conducted in the schools, colleges and universities so that the students’ minds are diverted from the past disturbances to a promising future. The students must be trained right from their schools so that their minds are led towards creativity, progress and success.
- Building professional colleges and Universities: Professional colleges and universities must be built in the valley for the local students who strive hard to move out of the state to pursue professional qualifications. Medical, Engineering and Management colleges must be set up to provide opportunities to the students who somehow fail to grab the opportunities in the capital or other states. It is important to make the valley self-sufficient professionally to the young generation so that their lives are filled with success stories substituting the past sad vicious stories.
Not everyone is pleased with the abolition of Article 370. Of course, every individual has the right to put forth their own views with their own perception. However, how long will the forced battle survive and in what way will the people of this heaven progress with the unending disturbances? It is high time that we must realize the negative consequences of protests and riots and raise ourselves above the presence or absence of the Article 370, leading our steps towards making a peaceful and developed Kashmir.
The common people’s lives wouldn’t change much as they must continue their daily routines and move out to earn their daily bread. Let us divert our thoughts to bringing up a progressive Kashmir and take the pride of being a responsible citizen of our Nation. Let us stand united and fight against covid-19 which has again brought the valley to standstill, emerge victorious by staying home and safe till the virus finds no body to home in and leaves our planet.
(The writer is an author of four books and contributing author of 14 International Anthologies, and a Skill Development Trainer)
