Why Kashmir’s classrooms must look beyond marks, memorisation and degrees
Mir Hasnain Iqbal
Every year, thousands of young people work hard to complete their education, hoping that their degrees will open doors to a better life. Families make sacrifices, parents invest their savings, and students spend years preparing for examinations. Yet, when qualified young people struggle to find suitable employment, a difficult question arises in the minds of those still sitting in classrooms: will all this hard work really lead anywhere? This question deserves attention because the loss of interest in learning cannot always be blamed on students. Sometimes, it reflects the pressures of the education system. Sometimes, it grows out of the gap between classroom learning and everyday life. And sometimes, it is fuelled by the uncertainty surrounding employment and the future. In Kashmir, where government jobs remain an important aspiration for many educated families, the struggle for limited vacancies can be particularly discouraging. Young people may spend years preparing for competitive examinations, postponing other plans while waiting for an opportunity. When they see qualified graduates facing prolonged uncertainty, students still in school may begin to question the value of their own efforts.
Education itself is not the problem.
The problem is the growing difficulty of connecting education with meaningful opportunities. When students repeatedly hear that education is the key to success but see educated people struggling to secure a livelihood, the promise of education can begin to lose its force. Some continue working towards their goals with determination, while others become less enthusiastic about their studies. For them, lessons may gradually become exercises in completing the syllabus, memorising answers and obtaining marks rather than opportunities to understand the world. This is where we need to examine our classrooms more honestly. Our education system often places enormous importance on examination results. Students are judged by marks, parents worry about rankings, and teachers face pressure to complete syllabi and produce satisfactory results. In this environment, genuine understanding can sometimes take a back seat. A student who reproduces a textbook answer may receive better recognition than one who asks an original question or attempts an unfamiliar problem.
Memorisation has its place, but it cannot replace critical thinking. Education must help students understand why things happen, how evidence can be examined and where knowledge can be applied. Otherwise, they may leave school with certificates but without the confidence to use what they have learned. Consider the teaching of environmental science in Kashmir. Students can memorise definitions of climate change, water pollution and deforestation. But learning becomes more meaningful when they examine the changing condition of local water bodies, discuss the consequences of flooding, investigate waste disposal or explore the relationship between environmental degradation and livelihoods. Such experiences help students connect textbooks with the world they see around them. The same principle applies to other subjects. Mathematics should help students solve practical problems; science should encourage investigation; languages should develop communication and expression; and social sciences should enable students to understand society and participate thoughtfully in public life. Digital distractions present another challenge. Mobile phones and social media have become part of everyday life, offering access to information and educational resources. However, excessive use can weaken concentration and leave less time for sustained reading, reflection and face-to-face interaction. Students need guidance in using technology constructively, not simply criticism for using it. Equally important is the pressure placed on young minds.
“Education must extend beyond exams to foster judgment, practical competence, and lifelong learning. When students lose interest, it signals a systemic failure: classrooms, employment systems, and social expectations fail to link effort with a dignified future. To restore curiosity and confidence—particularly for Kashmir’s youth—society must value diverse talents, create genuine opportunities, and convincingly answer why learning matters.”
Constant comparison, fear of failure and unrealistic expectations can make learning an exhausting experience. When a child’s worth is repeatedly measured against examination results, education risks becoming a source of anxiety rather than discovery. Teachers and parents must recognise that students have different abilities, interests and learning needs. Yet, even the most inspiring classroom cannot resolve the wider employment challenge on its own. Kashmir needs an education system that prepares students for diverse opportunities, alongside stronger efforts to generate those opportunities.
Government employment cannot absorb every graduate. Private enterprise, vocational training, research, technology, tourism, horticulture and environmental services all deserve attention. Career guidance should help students understand these different possibilities while ensuring that they acquire relevant skills. However, telling young people to become entrepreneurs or develop new skills is not enough. Such advice must be supported by access to training, finance, markets, infrastructure and a business environment in which initiative has a reasonable chance of succeeding.
The responsibility for creating opportunities cannot be shifted entirely onto unemployed graduates. Schools, too, must prepare students for life beyond examinations. Communication, problem-solving, creativity, digital literacy and independent thinking should complement academic knowledge. Students should be encouraged to explore their strengths and understand that a successful life can take different forms. At the same time, society must respect vocational and technical work instead of treating a government post as the only measure of achievement. Teachers have a vital role in this transformation. They can make lessons more interactive, welcome questions and use local examples to bring abstract concepts to life. But they also need institutional support, adequate resources and reasonable working conditions. Meaningful educational reform requires cooperation among teachers, school leaders, parents, policymakers and the wider community. Above all, we must learn to listen when students appear disengaged. Their lack of enthusiasm may arise from poor study habits or digital distractions, but it may also reflect anxiety, repeated academic difficulties or uncertainty about the future. Calling every struggling student lazy prevents us from understanding the real problem.
Education should give young people more than the ability to pass examinations. It should develop their judgment, broaden their horizons and equip them to contribute to society. Degrees matter, but knowledge, practical competence, integrity and the ability to keep learning matter just as much. The question before us is not simply why students are losing interest in learning. It is whether our classrooms, our employment system and our social expectations are giving them sufficient reasons to remain interested. A young person who sees no connection between education and a dignified future may begin to lose faith not only in a classroom, but in the promise made to them by society. If we want Kashmir’s students to learn with curiosity and confidence, we must make education meaningful, recognise different forms of talent and work towards a future in which knowledge opens genuine possibilities. Students need encouragement to study, but they also need a society that respects their effort and creates opportunities for their abilities to flourish. The real failure is not when a student asks, “Why should I study?” The real failure is when society cannot offer a convincing answer.
(The author is a teacher and Environmental Science researcher pursuing a PhD in Environmental Science. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
