Zeenat Ara (63) became the first woman in Kashmir to pursue a doctorate in Commerce from the University of Kashmir.
In the 1980s, achieving the feat in a male-dominated society was a challenging task, but despite odds she is among the few to lay the foundation of women education in the Valley.
A resident of Srinagar’s Sanat Nagar locality, Ara is a member of the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) from Kashmir. She pursued her career in commerce and has more than 30 years of teaching experience to her credit and continues to work towards the academic excellence of the state.
“I was lucky because both my parents were educated. They were teachers. I passed matric in 1964,” says Ara, who also became the first women lecturer in commerce and taught at a school in Canal Road, Jammu.
She said during those days women education was not given much importance and those who rose above the social norms to study were given limited choices. “After pursuing my degree in commerce from Kashmir University, I taught at different schools and colleges across Kashmir. In 1990s, when political turmoil started in Kashmir, I was posted as a lecturer in a Baramulla college. Though the situation was challenging, we persuaded more women to study,” she added.
For Ara, who graduated from Woman’s College, Srinagar, the most challenging job was when she became the principal of the same college. She tried hard to create an academic atmosphere in the institution.
“Being principal of this institute, there were different kind of challenges as it is the only main college for women in Kashmir and there were political pressures as well. But despite everything, I tried to give opportunities to girls to shine in the field of their liking,” adds Ara.
Being a member of the NAAC and the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, Ara often travels to far off universities and colleges of the country and said the education scenario in the country was changing fast and Kashmir needed to improve to meet national standards.
“When we go for assessment to different colleges and universities in other states, we see that the academic culture is fast changing. There is a need to improve quality of education in Kashmir for which society and government has to work hand in hand,” she said.
First Kashmiri woman to pursue doctorate in commerce
