Kashmir's Education Crisis: When Schools Become Profit Machines

Paradise Lost to Educational Profiteering

Srinagar 14 May 2025: In Kashmir—a region often described as “paradise on earth” with its snow-capped mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and verdant valleys—an educational nightmare unfolds daily. While the world marvels at its natural beauty, Kashmiri families are caught in a silent struggle against an increasingly predatory private education system that threatens their financial stability and their children’s well-being.

For generations, Kashmiris have viewed education as salvation—the pathway through which their children might escape the cycle of economic hardship and political uncertainty that has defined life in the Valley for decades. Instead of fulfilling this promise, many schools have transformed into merciless profit engines, exploiting parents’ educational aspirations and turning children into unwitting pawns in a financial game they never asked to play.

“When I enrolled my daughter in school, I thought I was giving her a gift,” says Farooq Ahmad, a small shopkeeper from Srinagar. “Now every school notice feels like a punishment—another bill we cannot afford, another night without sleep wondering how to pay.”

This article delves into the harsh reality of Kashmir’s education landscape, where parents already struggling to survive in a conflict-torn region face systematic exploitation by the very institutions meant to nurture their children’s futures. We examine how schools issue fortnightly financial diktats, employ humiliating tactics against children whose parents fall behind on payments, and operate within a regulatory vacuum that allows unchecked profiteering.

Most importantly, we share the stories of real Kashmiri families caught in this crisis, offer practical solutions for parents navigating this predatory system, and call for fundamental reforms to restore dignity and fairness to education in the Valley.

The Economic Context: Why School Fees Hit Harder in Kashmir

A Region Under Economic Siege

To understand the magnitude of Kashmir’s education crisis, one must first grasp the fragile economic context in which it unfolds. Kashmir’s economy has weathered decades of conflict, political uncertainty, and natural disasters. The region’s primary economic sectors—tourism, horticulture, handicrafts, and small-scale retail—have faced repeated disruptions from security lockdowns, curfews, internet shutdowns, and civil unrest.

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimates that the region has suffered economic losses exceeding ₹45,000 crore since 2019 alone. The COVID-19 pandemic further devastated the tourism industry, which typically accounts for 15-20% of Kashmir’s economy. For three consecutive years, the apple industry—the backbone of rural Kashmir’s economy—has faced transportation challenges, market access restrictions, and climatic disruptions that have slashed profits for orchard owners and daily wage laborers alike.

Against this backdrop, unemployment has soared to approximately 23% as of early 2025, more than double the national average. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), Kashmir has lost over 500,000 jobs since 2019, with youth unemployment reaching alarming rates of nearly 40% among those aged 18-30.

“We’re seeing an unprecedented economic vulnerability,” explains Dr. Ejaz Ayoub, a Srinagar-based economist. “The average Kashmiri household is operating with significantly reduced income while facing increased costs across all essential services, from food to healthcare to education.”

The Income-Education Gap

For the average Kashmiri family, the financial mathematics of private education simply don’t add up. While middle-class households in the Valley typically earn between ₹18,000-₹35,000 monthly, private school expenses for a single child can easily consume 40-60% of this income. This creates an impossible situation where families must choose between education and other essential needs.

A 2024 survey conducted by the Kashmir Parents’ Association found that:

78% of parents reported spending more than one-third of their monthly income on school fees and related expenses
65% had taken loans specifically to cover educational costs
43% had sold assets (jewelry, land, vehicles) to pay school fees
32% reported cutting back on essential healthcare to afford education
89% stated that school expenses had increased by more than 15% annually over the past three years

For families with multiple children, the situation becomes even more dire. Farida Begum, a widow from Baramulla who works as a tailoring instructor, spends nearly 70% of her monthly income of ₹22,000 on educating her three children. “After paying school fees, we survive on one meal a day sometimes,” she confesses. “But what choice do I have? Education is their only hope.”

This burden falls heaviest on Kashmir’s middle and lower-middle classes—families who can’t access the limited scholarships available to the poorest but lack the financial cushion of the wealthy. The pressure is particularly acute in rural areas, where families often relocate to urban centers at great personal cost to access supposedly better educational opportunities, only to find themselves trapped in an exploitative system.

Anatomy of Educational Exploitation: Breaking Down the Fee Structure

The Base Fee Deception

Private schools in Kashmir typically advertise a “base fee” or “tuition fee” that appears manageable at first glance. However, this represents only a fraction of what parents actually pay. According to data collected by the Fee Regulation Committee of Jammu and Kashmir in 2024, the advertised base fee typically accounts for just 50-60% of the total annual expenditure per child.

The true cost becomes apparent only after enrollment, when parents discover an intricate web of additional charges that significantly inflate the financial burden. Many schools deliberately underplay these costs during admission processes, creating a bait-and-switch situation that leaves parents with little recourse once their children are enrolled.

“They told us the annual fee was ₹65,000 when we enrolled our son,” says Mushtaq Ahmed, a government employee from Pulwama. “By the end of the first year, we had paid over ₹1.2 lakh through various additions and mandatory charges. When I questioned this, the administration simply said these were ‘standard practices’ known to all parents.”

The Fortnightly Diktat System

Perhaps the most destabilizing aspect of Kashmir’s private education system is the practice of issuing “fortnightly diktats”—unexpected fee notices that arrive every two weeks, demanding immediate payment for various purposes. These notices arrive with minimal warning, giving parents little time to arrange funds, and often carry implicit or explicit threats of consequences for non-compliance.

A typical academic year might include diktats for:

Seasonal charges: Winter heating charges (₹3,000-₹8,000), summer cooling charges (₹2,000-₹5,000)
Event fees: Annual days (₹1,000-₹3,000), sports days (₹1,500-₹4,000), cultural programs (₹2,000-₹5,000)
Material costs: Smart class access (₹5,000-₹10,000), laboratory usage (₹3,000-₹7,000), library development (₹2,000-₹5,000)
Administrative fees: Computer maintenance (₹2,000-₹4,000), building maintenance (₹3,000-₹8,000), security enhancement (₹1,000-₹3,000)
Miscellaneous charges: Teacher development programs (₹1,500-₹3,000), educational trips (₹2,000-₹10,000), examination fees (₹1,000-₹3,000 per term)

These diktats follow a predictable pattern: they arrive just days before payment deadlines, cite vague purposes that are difficult to verify, and offer no transparency regarding how funds are utilized. Schools often use WhatsApp groups, printed notices sent home with students, or hastily arranged parent meetings to announce these charges, deliberately limiting the opportunity for collective resistance or negotiation.

“Every second Friday, my heart sinks when my daughter opens her school bag,” says Shafeeqa Jan, a bank employee from Srinagar. “There’s always a new notice, always a new demand. The tactics are clearly designed to keep parents perpetually off-balance and unable to plan financially.”

The Uniform and Book Monopoly

Another significant source of exploitation is the mandatory purchase of uniforms, books, and stationery from school-designated vendors. These items are typically marked up by 60-100% compared to market rates, creating a lucrative revenue stream for schools that have established exclusive arrangements with suppliers.

A 2024 investigation by local newspaper Greater Kashmir found that 87% of private schools in the Valley required parents to purchase uniforms exclusively from specific vendors, with prices averaging 70% above comparable quality items available in the open market. Similarly, textbooks and stationery purchased through school-mandated channels cost 40-80% more than identical items from regular bookstores.

“My son’s school requires three different uniforms—regular, sports, and ceremonial—all from their designated tailor,” explains Irfan Malik, a government clerk from Shopian. “Last year, I secretly bought the fabric and had an identical uniform made locally for half the price. When my son wore it to school, they identified it immediately and sent him home with a warning letter.”

Schools frequently change uniform designs, textbook editions, and stationery requirements without educational justification, forcing parents to repurchase items annually. Some institutions have even introduced “school-branded” water bottles, bags, and shoes, further expanding the scope of mandatory purchases.

Hidden Charges and Mandatory ‘Voluntary’ Contributions

Beyond the formal fee structure lies a shadow system of supposedly “voluntary” contributions that are, in practice, mandatory. These include:

Building funds: One-time or annual contributions toward infrastructure development (₹10,000-₹50,000)
Technology upgradation: Fees for computer labs, digital classrooms, and online learning platforms (₹5,000-₹15,000 annually)
Teacher welfare funds: Contributions toward staff benefits and development (₹2,000-₹5,000 annually)
Special event sponsorships: Donations for school anniversaries, founder’s day celebrations, or high-profile guest visits (₹1,000-₹5,000 per event)
Emergency collections: Ad-hoc contributions for unforeseen expenses or opportunities (₹500-₹3,000 per collection)

Many schools also require “donations” at the time of admission, ranging from ₹50,000 to several lakhs for prestigious institutions. While officially denied, these donations operate as de facto admission fees, often collected in cash and without receipts.

“When my daughter was admitted to a well-known school in Srinagar, I was asked to make a ‘voluntary contribution’ of ₹2 lakh,” says Zahoor Ahmad, a businessman. “When I hesitated, the admission officer informed me that without this contribution, my daughter’s admission would unfortunately be reconsidered due to ‘overwhelming demand’ for seats.”

The Human Cost: Children as Collateral Damage

Public Humiliation as Fee Collection Strategy

When parents fall behind on payments, schools frequently resort to tactics that use children as leverage—causing psychological harm that can last long after the financial issues are resolved. These practices are not merely isolated incidents but systematic strategies employed to maximize fee collection.

“Fee defaulters”—children whose parents have missed payment deadlines—face a range of humiliating consequences:

Public identification: Some schools maintain “defaulters boards” where children’s names are publicly displayed, or announce names during morning assemblies.
Segregation: Children may be made to stand separately during assemblies, sit in separate rows during class, or eat separately during lunch.
Confiscation of materials: Report cards, worksheets, and other learning materials may be withheld until payments are made.
Exclusion from activities: Children are barred from participating in sports, cultural events, or field trips, often made to watch from the sidelines as their peers participate.
Classroom humiliation: Teachers may make pointed remarks about pending fees in front of other students, or ask children to leave the classroom when fee-related announcements are made.

These tactics deliberately weaponize children’s sense of belonging and social standing among peers, creating intense pressure on parents to pay regardless of their financial circumstances. The psychological impact on children is severe and often long-lasting.

Dr. Arshad Hussain, a psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS) in Srinagar, explains: “These experiences of public humiliation during formative years can cause lasting damage to a child’s self-esteem, social development, and attitude toward education. We’re seeing increasing cases of school refusal, anxiety disorders, and depression among children subjected to these tactics.”

The Attendance Weapon: Present but Marked Absent

An especially troubling practice emerging in Kashmir’s private schools is the manipulation of attendance records as a fee collection tool. Children whose parents have outstanding dues may physically attend school but are marked absent in official records—a practice that not only distorts academic documentation but also creates anxiety in children about their standing in the school.

“My son attended school every day last month, but when we received his report card, it showed he was absent for 12 days,” recounts Shahid Mir, a shopkeeper from Anantnag. “When I questioned this, the administration bluntly told me that until our fees were ‘regularized,’ his attendance wouldn’t be recorded. They effectively erased his presence because of our financial situation.”

This practice has serious implications beyond immediate discomfort. In the Kashmiri educational context, where attendance records affect everything from scholarship eligibility to final examination permission, these manipulations can have lasting consequences on a child’s educational trajectory.

Farzana Mir, a single mother working as a healthcare assistant in Srinagar, describes the anxiety this causes: “My daughter now demands proof that I’ve paid the fees before she’ll even go to school. She’s terrified of being marked absent again and missing her final exams. A 10-year-old shouldn’t have to carry this kind of worry.”

Psychological Impacts: Education Trauma in Young Minds

The psychological toll of these practices creates what mental health professionals in Kashmir are now identifying as “education trauma”—a complex of anxiety, shame, and alienation specifically linked to negative experiences in school environments.

Children subjected to fee-related targeting often exhibit:

Academic disengagement: Reduced participation in class, declining interest in learning, and falling grades.
Social withdrawal: Reluctance to form friendships or participate in group activities for fear of being singled out.
School avoidance: Physical symptoms like stomach aches or headaches on school days, or explicit refusal to attend.
Internalized shame: Taking on responsibility for their family’s financial struggles, expressing guilt about attending school.
Loss of trust in educational institutions: Developing negative associations with school and learning environments.

“My son was once excited about school,” says Rafiq Dar, a driver from Baramulla. “Now he checks with me every morning whether I’ve paid all the fees. He’s 8 years old and already worried about money. The sparkle in his eyes when talking about school is gone.”

In a region already marked by conflict-related trauma, where children have witnessed violence, lived through curfews, and experienced internet blackouts that interrupted their education, these additional school-based stressors create a compounding effect. Mental health professionals report that approximately 34% of school-aged children in Kashmir now exhibit signs of anxiety disorders, with school-related stressors identified as a significant contributing factor.

Inside the Business Model: How Schools Maximize Profit

The Corporate Transformation of Education

The commercialization of education in Kashmir represents a fundamental shift in how schooling is conceptualized—from a social good to a profit-generating service. This transformation accelerated in the early 2000s as Kashmir’s public education system deteriorated amid political instability, creating a market gap that private institutions rushed to fill.

Today, private education in Kashmir operates increasingly on corporate principles:

Expansion-focused growth: Schools continuously add new branches, grades, and facilities to increase revenue, often at the expense of quality.
Operational cost minimization: Teacher salaries are kept low (often ₹8,000-₹15,000 monthly for qualified teachers) while student fees increase.
Brand-building and marketing: Substantial resources are devoted to promotional activities, advertising, and creating perception of exclusivity.
Diversified revenue streams: Beyond tuition, schools generate income through uniform sales, transportation services, extracurricular programs, and “educational” products.
Real estate acquisition: Many school owners use education revenue to build property portfolios, sometimes doubling school buildings as real estate investments.

“Education entrepreneurship has become one of the most reliable paths to wealth in Kashmir,” notes education activist Javaid Ahmad Shah. “The returns on investment are extraordinary—schools built on relatively small initial investments now generate crores in annual revenue with minimal regulatory oversight.”

The Ownership Structures Behind the Schools

The ownership patterns of Kashmir’s private schools reveal why profit maximization has overtaken educational mission:

Business Consortium Schools: Large, prestigious institutions often backed by business groups with diverse commercial interests who view education as another profit center.
Individual Entrepreneur Schools: Founded by businesspeople with no background in education who recognized the market opportunity.
Political Elite Schools: Institutions with direct or indirect ties to political figures, often enjoying regulatory advantages and government patronage.
Former Educator Schools: Started by teachers or education professionals who gradually shifted from educational to commercial priorities.
Religious Organization Schools: Affiliated with religious groups but increasingly adopting commercial practices and fee structures.

What unites most of these models is the absence of transparent governance structures, limited reinvestment in educational quality, and the prioritization of revenue generation over pedagogical innovation.

An analysis of financial documents from five major private schools in Srinagar, conducted by the Kashmir Economic Forum in 2024, found that while fee income increased by an average of 18% annually over five years, spending on teacher salaries increased by only 5-7%, and investments in learning resources by just 3-4%. The largest expenditure increases came in marketing (22%), administrative costs (17%), and infrastructure expansion (25%)—all areas that drive further enrollment and revenue.

The Financial Mathematics of School Operation

The economics of private education in Kashmir are revealing:

For a mid-tier private school with 1,000 students charging an average comprehensive fee of ₹80,000 annually per student:

Gross revenue: ₹8 crore annually
Teacher salaries: Approximately ₹1.5 crore annually (assuming 60 teachers at an average salary of ₹25,000 monthly)
Administrative staff: Approximately ₹50 lakh annually
Facility maintenance: ₹30-50 lakh annually
Utility costs: ₹20-30 lakh annually
Educational materials and resources: ₹30-40 lakh annually
Marketing and advertising: ₹40-50 lakh annually

This leaves an annual surplus of ₹3.5-4 crore—a profit margin of 40-50%, comparable to luxury goods businesses rather than educational institutions. For schools with 2,000+ students and higher fee structures, the profits can exceed ₹10 crore annually.

“The return on investment in private education is extraordinary,” explains economist Dr. Nisar Ali. “A typical school can recover its initial investment within 3-5 years and then generate consistent profits with relatively low operational risks. This explains why we’re seeing such aggressive expansion in this sector despite the economic challenges facing the broader Kashmiri economy.”

Seasonal Fee Spikes: Capitalizing on Natural Challenges

Kashmir’s harsh winter climate creates additional opportunities for profit extraction. Schools implement “winter charges” ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 per student, ostensibly for heating and related services. Yet investigations by parent associations have revealed that many schools provide minimal or intermittent heating, with classrooms often remaining cold enough that students wear outerwear indoors.

“We paid ₹5,000 as winter charges last year,” says Shazia Bhat, whose daughter attends a prominent school in Srinagar. “But the classrooms were so cold that children wore gloves during lessons. When parents complained, we were told that ‘heating was provided according to school policy’ with no further explanation.”

Similarly, schools implement special charges during exam periods, religious festivals, and at the beginning of terms—strategically timing fee increases to coincide with periods when parents are least likely to transfer their children to different institutions.

The Regulatory Vacuum: Why Exploitation Thrives

Failed Oversight Mechanisms

Despite the existence of nominal regulatory frameworks, Kashmir’s private education sector operates with minimal effective oversight. The J&K School Fee Fixation Committee, established to regulate fee structures, lacks both enforcement mechanisms and comprehensive monitoring capabilities. Its recommendations are frequently ignored with impunity.

“The regulatory system exists on paper but not in practice,” explains education rights activist Mushtaq Ahmad Wani. “Schools have found numerous ways to circumvent regulations—by recategorizing mandatory fees as ‘voluntary contributions,’ by creating subsidiary entities to handle uniform and book sales, or simply by ignoring directives entirely.”

Attempts at reform have been inconsistent and ineffective. In 2023, the J&K administration announced plans to implement a comprehensive fee regulation framework, but implementation has been delayed repeatedly. Meanwhile, the J&K Board of School Education, which has theoretical oversight of curriculum and school operations, focuses primarily on examination administration rather than institutional practices.

This regulatory weakness is compounded by capacity issues. Government inspectors are too few to monitor the hundreds of private schools operating across the Valley, and inspection protocols focus on physical infrastructure rather than financial practices or student welfare.

Political Economy of Private Education

The weak regulatory environment is no accident. It reflects the deep political and economic interests involved in Kashmir’s private education sector. Many schools maintain direct or indirect connections to political figures, bureaucrats, and influential business groups, creating a protective network that shields them from scrutiny.

“There’s a revolving door between education administration and private school ownership,” notes a former education department official who requested anonymity. “The same individuals who should be enforcing regulations often have family members or business associates who own schools. This creates an inherent conflict of interest that undermines any meaningful oversight.”

Additionally, private schools have formed powerful associations that lobby effectively against regulatory efforts. These groups frame any attempt at fee regulation as “government interference in educational quality” and mobilize parents from elite backgrounds to resist reforms.

The political instability in Kashmir has further undermined regulatory capacity, as administrative attention cycles between security concerns, political restructuring, and crisis management rather than sustained governance of social services like education.

Consumer Protection Gaps

Parents in Kashmir lack effective consumer protection mechanisms when dealing with schools. While the Consumer Protection Act theoretically applies to educational services, in practice:

Documentation is limited: Many financial transactions occur without proper receipts, making it difficult to prove exploitative practices.
Contracts are one-sided: School admission forms typically include clauses giving institutions broad discretion to modify fees and requirements.
Collective action is discouraged: Schools often respond to complaints by targeting the children of vocal parents, discouraging organized resistance.
Legal recourse is impractical: Consumer courts in Kashmir face significant backlogs, making litigation a years-long process that extends beyond a child’s school tenure.

“We’re essentially operating in a capture situation,” explains Dr. Sobia Khurshid, who researches education policy at Kashmir University. “Parents know they’re being exploited but feel powerless to challenge the system without risking their children’s educational future.”

Voices from the Valley: Family Stories

The Apple Grower’s Dilemma

Bashir Ahmad Lone, a third-generation apple grower from Shopian, embodies the predicament facing many Kashmiri parents. His 10-acre apple orchard once provided a comfortable living for his family of five, but years of weather disruptions, transport challenges, and market fluctuations have eroded his income. Yet the expectations of his children’s school have only increased.

“Last year, after hailstorms damaged nearly 40% of my crop, I approached my children’s school for a payment extension,” Bashir recounts. “The principal suggested I take a loan rather than delay payment. When I asked about a fee reduction, he looked at me as if I’d suggested something shameful.”

For Bashir, the annual education cost for his three children now exceeds ₹3.5 lakh—more than his net income in poor harvest years. He has sold two kanals of ancestral land and borrowed heavily from relatives to maintain his children’s education.

“My grandfather cleared forests to plant these apple trees, dreaming of security for future generations,” he says. “Now I’m selling the land piece by piece just to pay school fees. What inheritance will remain for my children?”

The situation worsened when his middle son, Adil, was publicly reprimanded for a delayed payment. “He came home and said he doesn’t want to go to school anymore. A 12-year-old boy was made to feel like a criminal because I couldn’t pay ₹12,000 on the exact due date.”

The Working Mother’s Struggle

Saima Rashid, a nurse at a government hospital in Srinagar, represents Kashmir’s growing cohort of working mothers facing impossible financial mathematics. As a single parent after her husband’s death in 2018, she earns ₹38,000 monthly—a salary considered relatively secure in Kashmir’s unstable economy. Yet educating her two daughters consumes nearly 70% of her income.

“People see me in my nurse’s uniform and assume I’m financially comfortable,” Saima explains. “They don’t see me counting coins for bus fare after paying school fees, or the nights I work double shifts to cover the endless ‘special charges’ the school demands.”

Last winter, her daughter Insha was excluded from the school’s annual function because Saima hadn’t paid the ₹3,000 “cultural development fee.” Insha had rehearsed her dance performance for weeks, only to be pulled out on the day of the event.

“She cried for days,” Saima recalls. “The school knew our situation—that I was working night shifts to manage their fees—yet they punished a 9-year-old for their idea of financial discipline.”

The constant financial pressure has forced Saima to make painful sacrifices. “I’ve postponed critical dental work three times because school fee deadlines came first. My health is deteriorating, but what choice do I have? If I can’t work, who will educate my daughters?”

The Small Business Owner’s Calculation

Javid Ahmad Mir owns a modest handicraft shop in Lal Chowk, Srinagar. For decades, his family has crafted and sold traditional Kashmiri woodwork, papier-mâché, and shawls—cultural treasures that once provided a stable income but now face declining demand amid economic downturns and changing consumer preferences.

“When my son was born in 2010, I opened a special savings account for his education,” Javid recalls. “By the time he started school, that account couldn’t even cover the first year’s fees. Now, as he enters middle school, the financial pressure has become unbearable.”

Javid’s calculations reveal the harsh reality many Kashmiri businesses face: While his shop’s revenue has increased only marginally over the past decade, school expenses have nearly tripled. Annual fee hikes of 15-20% have far outpaced the 3-5% growth in his business income.

“Last month, I received notice of a ₹15,000 ‘digital learning fee’—mandatory for all students,” he explains. “When I visited the computer lab during parents’ day, I found outdated machines, many not even functional. Where does this money go?”

The impact extends beyond finances. “My son overheard me discussing selling our shop to afford his education. Now he feels responsible for our financial stress. He’s 12 years old and already carries the burden of our economic survival.”

The Academic’s Perspective

Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, a professor at a government college in Srinagar, offers a unique perspective—caught between his professional understanding of education’s value and his personal experience as a parent facing exploitative practices.

“As an educator, I’m committed to the transformative power of learning,” he explains. “But as a parent, I’m witnessing the corruption of that ideal—education reduced to a luxury product with premium pricing.”

Despite his academic position, Dr. Ahmad struggles to afford the ₹2.5 lakh annual fee for his two children. “My entire year’s salary as a college professor would barely cover three years of school fees at their current rate of increase. The mathematics is simply unsustainable.”

His daughter’s school recently demanded ₹18,000 for a “STEM lab fee” despite no new equipment being purchased. When he questioned this as a faculty member at a science college, the school administration suggested he was “undermining his child’s educational opportunities.”

“The irony is painful,” he reflects. “I spend my days teaching college students for a fraction of what private schools charge to teach basic mathematics to 10-year-olds. And despite my academic credentials, I feel powerless to challenge a system that has commodified what should be a fundamental right.”

Resistance and Resilience: How Parents Are Fighting Back

The Rise of Parent Collectives

Amid the exploitation, signs of resistance are emerging. Since 2022, parent associations have formed across Kashmir, creating platforms for collective advocacy and mutual support. Groups like the Kashmir Parents’ Association (KPA), Parents’ Forum for Affordable Education, and district-level parent committees are challenging exploitative practices through organized action.

These groups employ various strategies:

Information sharing: Creating WhatsApp groups and social media platforms where parents compare fee structures, document irregular charges, and share notices from different schools.
Collective negotiations: Approaching school administrations as united groups rather than individuals, increasing bargaining power.
Media advocacy: Working with local journalists to investigate and expose particularly egregious practices.
Legal initiatives: Pooling resources to file consumer complaints and public interest litigation against schools.
Political lobbying: Engaging with local representatives to push for stronger regulatory frameworks.

“When I received a ₹20,000 ‘smart classroom fee’ despite no new technology being installed, I felt helpless individually,” explains Zubair Ahmad, a parent from Anantnag. “But through our district parents’ association, we discovered this was happening across multiple schools simultaneously. Collectively, we approached the district administration with documentation from 340 parents, and the fee was eventually rolled back.”

These collective efforts represent an important shift in how parents engage with schools—from isolated consumers to organized stakeholder groups demanding accountability and transparency.

Alternative Education Models

Some Kashmiri families are exploring alternative educational approaches that offer quality learning with greater financial sustainability:

Community-Funded Schools: In several neighborhoods, particularly in Srinagar and Baramulla, parents have pooled resources to establish cooperative schools with transparent finances and parent oversight.
Public-Private Hybrids: Some families utilize government schools for primary education, supplemented with targeted private tutoring in specific subjects.
Homeschooling Clusters: Small groups of families sharing teaching responsibilities and resources, particularly for early childhood and primary education.
Digital Learning Communities: Leveraging online resources and periodic in-person interactions for middle and high school students.

“After years of financial stress from private school fees, we joined a parent-run learning cooperative,” says Shaheen Malik, whose children previously attended a prestigious Srinagar school. “The education quality is comparable, the environment is nurturing rather than competitive, and the cost is one-third of what we were paying. Most importantly, there’s complete transparency about how our money is used.”

While still accounting for a small percentage of Kashmir’s students, these alternative models demonstrate viable paths beyond the exploitative mainstream system.

Legal and Advocacy Approaches

Strategic legal interventions have begun challenging systemic exploitation. In 2023, a group of 56 parents in Srinagar successfully petitioned the J&K High Court against a school that had raised fees by 22% in a single year. The court not only ordered a rollback but established an important precedent regarding reasonable fee increases.

Consumer courts have also become battlegrounds for fee disputes. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in Srinagar heard 76 school-related cases in 2024, with parents prevailing in 28 instances where schools had imposed charges without proper notice or justification.

Advocacy organizations like the J&K Peoples’ Forum for Rights and Justice have developed specialized legal aid programs for parents facing educational exploitation. These initiatives provide documentation support, legal guidance, and representation for families unable to afford private legal counsel.

“The legal approach is slow but essential for systemic change,” explains advocate Suhail Ahmad, who specializes in education law. “Each successful case creates precedents that gradually constrain predatory practices and build pressure for comprehensive regulatory reform.”

Solutions: A Roadmap for Reform

Immediate Actions for Parents

For parents currently navigating Kashmir’s educational landscape, practical strategies can help mitigate exploitation:

Document Everything: Maintain comprehensive records of all communications, payments, and school notices. Request receipts for every payment, however small.
Know Your Rights: Familiarize yourself with the J&K School Education Act and Fee Regulation Committee guidelines. Reference these when challenging irregular charges.
Seek Transparency: Request detailed breakdowns of how fees are utilized, particularly for specialized charges like “development fees” or “technology fees.”
Build Community: Connect with other parents from your child’s school for information sharing and collective advocacy.
Negotiate Openly: Approach school administrations regarding financial difficulties before payment deadlines, requesting installment options rather than defaulting.
Prioritize Your Child’s Well-being: If your child faces humiliation or exclusion, document these incidents and raise them with senior administrators, emphasizing the psychological impact rather than just the financial aspect.
Explore Alternatives: Research other educational options in your area, including government schools with good reputations, alternative learning models, or schools with more transparent financial practices.

Policy and Regulatory Solutions

Comprehensive reform requires government action at multiple levels:

Fee Regulation Enforcement: Strengthen the J&K Fee Regulation Committee with investigative powers, clear penalty structures for non-compliance, and regular auditing mechanisms.
Transparency Requirements: Mandate that schools publish detailed financial statements, fee structures, and development plans, accessible to all parents and prospective parents.
Anti-Humiliation Legislation: Explicitly prohibit schools from targeting children for their parents’ financial circumstances, with clear penalties for institutions that employ such tactics. This should include bans on segregation, public identification of “fee defaulters,” and manipulation of attendance records.
Uniform and Book Regulation: Eliminate monopolistic practices by prohibiting schools from mandating specific vendors for uniforms and learning materials. Require schools to accept standard versions of required items purchased from any legitimate retailer.
Public Education Revitalization: Increase investment in government schools to create viable alternatives to private education, with particular focus on infrastructure, teacher training, and climate-appropriate facilities.
Fee Increase Caps: Implement annual percentage limits on fee increases, tied to documented inflation rates and subject to regulatory approval.
Parent Representation: Mandate the inclusion of democratically elected parent representatives on school management committees, with meaningful oversight authority over financial decisions.
Grievance Redressal: Establish specialized educational ombudsman offices at district levels to provide accessible, efficient resolution of fee-related disputes.

Community and Civil Society Initiatives

Beyond government action, broader societal engagement is essential:

Education Rights Awareness: Local NGOs and community organizations can conduct workshops for parents on their rights, documentation practices, and collective action strategies.
Teacher Advocacy: Support networks for teachers to advocate for better working conditions while aligning with parents against exploitative institutional practices.
Media Engagement: Encourage investigative journalism focusing on school finances, creating public accountability through transparency.
Alternative Education Support: Provide resources, recognition, and regulatory frameworks for community-based education initiatives that offer quality learning with greater financial sustainability.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Engage Kashmir’s business community in establishing scholarship programs and education endowments that reduce financial pressure on struggling families.

The Deeper Context: Education in a Conflict Zone

The Shadow of Political Instability

Any discussion of Kashmir’s education crisis must acknowledge the political context in which it unfolds. Decades of conflict, military presence, and civil unrest have profoundly shaped educational realities in the Valley. Schools have frequently been shuttered during security clampdowns, internet blackouts have disrupted learning for months at a stretch, and the psychological burden of growing up amid uncertainty has affected generations of students.

“Education in Kashmir has never been allowed to develop organically,” explains Dr. Mehboob Makhdoomi, an education researcher. “The constant disruptions create a learning deficit that schools exploit, presenting themselves as the solution to a problem they didn’t create but certainly profit from.”

This instability has also undermined regulatory systems and civil society organizations that might otherwise serve as counterbalances to exploitative practices. With administrative attention frequently focused on security concerns and political management, issues like educational exploitation often remain unaddressed.

The result is a paradoxical situation: education is simultaneously seen as the path to stability and security for Kashmiri families, yet the institutions providing this education often exploit the very instability that makes their services so desperately desired.

The Educational Aspiration Trap

For many Kashmiri families, education represents much more than academic learning—it symbolizes hope for transcending conflict, economic hardship, and geographical limitations. This creates what sociologists call an “aspiration trap,” where emotional investment in educational outcomes becomes so intense that families will endure almost any exploitation to maintain access to what they perceive as quality schooling.

“We’re willing to eat one meal a day if it means our children can study in an English-medium school,” explains Ghulam Hassan, a carpet weaver from Budgam. “When you’ve grown up amid curfews and witnessed opportunities vanish, you’ll sacrifice anything to give your children a different future.”

Schools understand and exploit this desperation, knowing that parents will go to extraordinary lengths—selling assets, incurring debt, working multiple jobs—rather than risk what they perceive as educational compromise. The emotional leverage this provides allows institutions to continually push the boundaries of exploitation.

“It’s a form of emotional blackmail,” notes psychologist Dr. Arif Khan. “Schools effectively say, ‘Pay what we demand or jeopardize your child’s future,’ knowing that no Kashmiri parent who lived through the region’s hardships can easily refuse such pressure.”

The Breakdown of Educational Purpose

Perhaps the most profound impact of Kashmir’s educational crisis is the fundamental distortion of learning’s purpose and value. When education becomes primarily a financial transaction—a commodity to be purchased rather than a right to be realized—its transformative potential is compromised.

Students internalize the message that their worth is tied to their family’s ability to pay, while learning itself becomes secondary to the financial relationship between institution and family. The constant anxiety about fees and payments creates an environment where true engagement with knowledge becomes difficult for both students and teachers.

“My students are increasingly aware of their status as ‘customers’ rather than learners,” laments Ishrat Jabeen, who has taught at private schools in Kashmir for 15 years. “They know exactly how much their parents pay, and some even use this as leverage when they’re unhappy with grades or discipline. The sacred teacher-student relationship is being corrupted by commercialization.”

This transformation represents not just a financial crisis but an existential one for education in Kashmir—a region where learning has historically been valued as a pathway to wisdom and social contribution, not merely economic advancement or status.

Hope on the Horizon: Emerging Alternatives

Despite the grim reality described throughout this article, examples of positive innovation and resistance offer hope for Kashmir’s educational future. These emerging alternatives demonstrate that quality education need not come at the cost of financial exploitation or childhood dignity.

Community Schools: The Baramulla Model

In 2022, a group of 43 families in Baramulla, frustrated by exploitative practices at conventional private schools, pooled resources to establish the Baramulla Community Learning Center. Operating from a renovated heritage building donated by a community member, the center employs eight qualified teachers who receive competitive salaries while charging parents one-third the fees of comparable private schools.

Key features of this model include:

Transparent finances: Monthly financial statements are shared with all parent-members
Collective governance: Major decisions, including fee structures, are determined by consensus
Teacher empowerment: Educators participate in management decisions and curriculum development
Sliding scale fees: Families contribute according to their means, with those of greater financial capacity voluntarily paying more
Resource sharing: Textbooks, uniforms, and materials are collectively purchased and often reused

“Our children are performing as well academically as they did at expensive private schools, but without the constant financial stress and humiliation,” explains Rafiqa Bano, one of the founding parents. “Most importantly, they’re learning in an environment that embodies the values we want them to absorb—cooperation, transparency, and mutual support.”

The Baramulla model has inspired similar initiatives in five other districts, suggesting potential for wider replication.

Public School Renaissance: The Kupwara Initiative

In Kupwara district, a collaboration between local government, dedicated educators, and community organizations has revitalized several public schools, creating genuine alternatives to private education. The initiative focuses on:

Infrastructure improvement: Climate-appropriate buildings with proper heating and modern facilities
Teacher development: Intensive training programs and performance incentives
Curriculum enrichment: Supplementary programs in arts, sciences, and technology
Community engagement: Regular parent-teacher dialogue and transparent administration
Student support: Addressing the holistic needs of children, including those affected by conflict and poverty

Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Kupwara town, once struggling with low enrollment and poor results, now competes academically with the district’s top private schools while providing free education. Principal Shagufta Akhtar explains: “We’ve proven that public education can excel when properly resourced and managed. Our students consistently outperform private school counterparts in board examinations while growing in an environment free from financial anxiety.”

Digital Integration: Tech Solutions for Educational Access

Technology is offering new possibilities for reducing educational costs while maintaining quality. The Kashmir Digital Learning Initiative, launched in 2023, provides:

Shared digital resources: Reducing the need for expensive textbooks and materials
Teacher training networks: Allowing best practices to spread efficiently across schools
Parent communication platforms: Creating transparency around fees and expenditures
Supplementary learning tools: Offering quality education without expensive physical infrastructure

While not replacing traditional schooling, these digital approaches provide leverage for families seeking to reduce dependence on exploitative institutions while maintaining educational quality.

“The digital platform allows us to homeschool our children for certain subjects while sending them to affordable schools for others,” explains Mohammad Shafi, a parent from Pulwama. “This hybrid approach has reduced our educational expenses by 60% while actually improving learning outcomes.”

Bottom-Line: Reclaiming Education’s Promise in Kashmir

The exploitation of Kashmiri parents and children by profit-hungry schools represents more than just a financial crisis—it threatens the very foundation of education as a force for individual and social transformation. When schools become predatory institutions focused on extracting maximum revenue, they betray their core purpose and damage the communities they claim to serve.

Yet as this article has documented, resistance is growing. From parent collectives to legal challenges, from community alternatives to policy advocacy, Kashmiris are fighting to reclaim education from commercial exploitation. These efforts deserve support from all sectors of society—government, civil society, media, and religious institutions.

For Kashmir’s children to thrive, education must return to its fundamental purpose: nurturing human potential in an environment of dignity and respect. Schools must be accountable not just for academic results but for ethical practice, particularly regarding the vulnerable families they serve. And the success of education must be measured not by profit margins or imposing infrastructure, but by how well it empowers children to build meaningful lives amid challenging circumstances.

The path forward requires courage—from parents willing to challenge exploitative practices, from educators willing to prioritize principles over profit, from officials willing to enforce regulations against powerful interests, and from communities willing to experiment with alternative models. But the stakes could not be higher. At issue is not just the financial sustainability of education in Kashmir but its soul.

“Every time a school humiliates a child over fees, every time a parent sells ancestral land to pay arbitrary charges, every time a family goes hungry to afford education, we move further from what learning should be,” reflects education activist Nuzhat Bukhari. “But when we stand together against exploitation, when we create schools that honor both learning and human dignity, we begin to heal not just our education system but our society.”

For Kashmir—a land of extraordinary natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and resilient people—the struggle for educational justice is inseparable from the broader journey toward peace, stability, and self-determination. By protecting children from educational exploitation today, Kashmiris nurture hope for a more just tomorrow.