EDUCATION

Rayees Shah For many families across Kashmir, the start of the new school year is no longer a moment of excitement, it has become a season of financial strain. Parents say private schools are forcing them to buy expensive textbooks from designated vendors, with complete sets costing up to Rs 7,000, leaving households scrambling to meet the demand. The practice, critics say, has been in place for years but remains largely unchecked. Schools reportedly mandate purchases from specific shops, eliminating any possibility of comparison shopping and giving them near-total control over the prices. “This is not just about paying more for books... it’s about a system that keeps parents trapped every year,” said Fahim Ahmad, a parent from Anantnag. “The curriculum changes annually, so books ...

The Jammu Kashmir Assembly on Tuesday witnessed a heated discussion on the growing menace of drug addiction, with lawmakers demanding immediate steps to counter the crisis, especially through schools and colleges. Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo said the government has launched a coordinated effort involving multiple departments to tackle substance abuse through awareness, prevention, and rehabilitation programmes. She added that drug awareness has been integrated into the school curriculum and that regular sessions will be held during morning assemblies to sensitise students early. National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq stressed that schools must play a central role in the fight against drugs. “Drug awareness should be made a compulsory subject, and every class must ...

The All India Medical Students’ Association (AIMSA) has urged the Jammu Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (JKBOPEE) to abolish the Common Pool Quota and Rule 17 from its admission policy, calling both provisions discriminatory and inconsistent with national standards. AIMSA Vice President Dr Mohammad Momin Khan speaking to The Kashmiriyat appealed to JKBOPEE to take immediate corrective measures to align its admission process with the rest of the country. He said that these provisions exist only in Jammu and Kashmir and must be removed to ensure fairness, merit, and better opportunities for students. Dr Khan argued that the continuation of these rules undermines equal opportunity and deprives deserving candidates of their rightful chances in professional courses such as ...

In a development that has raised serious concern, Kashmiri language textbooks were reportedly unavailable in government schools across the Valley up to the elementary level during the outgoing academic session, even as exams for the subject were conducted. Rights activist Rasikh Rasool Bhat said the absence of textbooks reflected poorly on the School Education Department and the Board of School Education. “Kashmiri language textbooks were not available up to Class 8, which is highly unfortunate and deeply troubling. Teachers across Kashmir somehow managed to teach the subject through makeshift arrangements. We hope this gap is addressed in the next academic session,” he said. Teachers said they had to rely on outdated materials, photocopies, and personal notes to cover the syllabu...

The ‘New Era Islamia Public Secondary School’ in North Kashmir’s Pattan town of Baramulla district has blacklisted the coaching institute Physics Wallah, after a recent video went viral on social media allegedly showing a teacher involved in an alleged “inappropriate act”. The video, which has been circulating across various platforms, has sparked public outrage, with parents, teachers, and education activists calling for strict oversight of private coaching institutions operating in the Kashmir Valley. The incident has once again placed the popular edtech company under scrutiny for lapses in supervision and professional conduct. Following the uproar, the Pattan-based school management announced that it would not permit Physics Wallah to conduct any entrance tests or student-related ...

Jammu Kashmir has seen a significant rise in MBBS seats over the past seven years, with the total intake increasing from 500 in 2018 to 1,525 in 2025. In 2018, most of the 500 seats were limited to the two government medical colleges—SKIMS Medical College Srinagar and ASCOMS Jammu. Since then, several new colleges, including GMC Anantnag and GMC Baramulla, have started admitting students, with the National Medical Commission (NMC) approving 100 seats each at the new colleges in 2019. The expansion has continued steadily. In the 2024-25 academic year, J&K had approximately 1,185 government MBBS seats, with ASCOMS Jammu adding another 100 seats from the private sector. In September 2025, NMC approved 190 additional seats across five GMCs—GMC Baramulla, Doda, and Kathua received 50 ...

Jammu Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) Wednesday issued annual regular examination date sheet for 11th and 12th classes. As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the annual regular exams for 11th standard will commence from November 19 and end on December-13. JKBOSE further said that the exams for 12th standard will commence from November-13 till December-03. Earlier, JKBOSE notified date sheet for 10th standard wherein the board had said that the exams will commence from November-03 to November-27. Pertinently, JKBOSE has announced 15 percent syllabi relaxation for all board exams for the ensuing academic year—(KNO)

The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JK BOSE) has notified the date-sheet for Class 10th Annual/ Regular, 2025 (Oct-Nov session), scheduling the examination from November 3 from 11 am to 2 pm. In all, nearly 95,000 students from Kashmir Division and winter zone areas of Jammu Division including students from Ladakh UT are expected to take up the exam, which the Government has restored back to October- November session. As per the date- sheet, the exams will commence on November 3 for Mathematics subject followed by Social Science on November 7. The examination for Science subject has been scheduled on November 11 while English paper will be held on November 14. The Urdu/ Hindi papers have been scheduled on November 17, Computer Science on November 19 while as vocati...

Sajad Akbar Rather, a 39-year-old teacher from Sopore, Baramulla, has been selected for the prestigious Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) fellowship. Rather, who teaches science and computer studies at Boys Higher Secondary School Bomai, will travel to the United States in 2026 as part of the programme, sponsored by the US Department of State and administered by IREX. Originally from Wadura village, Rather has previously received the UT Best Teacher Award and an NCERT National Award for his innovative classroom methods. He is also known for mentoring students in coding and applied science at the Atal Tinkering Lab. Calling the fellowship both “an honour and a responsibility,” Rather said he hopes to bring back new teaching methods and global perspectives to benef...

Former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has raised serious concerns over the functioning of the Central University of Kashmir (CUK), alleging rampant nepotism, backdoor appointments, and a decline in academic standards. She described the situation at the university as one of “lawlessness and misgovernance” and appealed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene by ordering an impartial inquiry. Mehbooba said that the institution, which was established with the aim of providing quality higher education to the youth of Jammu Kashmir, is instead being “run like a personal enterprise” where established norms and governance protocols are being flouted. She warned that such practices pose a grave threat to the future of students...