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Education is Kashmir has a long colonial history and the state has been part of a dispute between India, Pakistan and China since the mid 20th century. Human rights abuses and presence of conflict affect the provision of education as the Right to Education act has not been extended to Jammu and Kashmir. A prolonged history of conflict in the state has created barriers to education for the majority of the population. Kashmir’s population had an adult literacy rate of 67.17% which is below world regional standards. Kashmir’s modern education system emerged in the 2nd half of the 19th century with the advent of Christian missionaries who made pioneering efforts to educate Hindu and Muslim Kashmiris on the pattern of European education.

Education falls under the control of the Indian government and the constitution of India, although the provision of education is widely affected by the state violence. The revision of special status, or autonomy in 2019 under article 370, has widely impacted access to education within Kashmir. Conflict in the Kashmir region is the biggest obstruction to education, with consequences such as damages to schools and interruptions to teaching. Recruitment of children for militia is a substantial issue in Kashmir, increased militarisation of school areas can lead to negative psychological impacts on children, affecting pathways to even basic education. Governments need to prioritise safe access to education even if it is only at primary level, alongside the de-escalation of conflict through safe schools declaration.

Structure of my article will be as follows: Introduction Stages of education – Formal / informal, primary, secondary, further. History Religion and education Conflict in Kashmir Issues Initiatives