Border Communities and the Status of Education at the Line of Control

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science

© 2020 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal

Volume 7 Issue 3

Year of Publication : 2020

Authors : Tarif Sohail

10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V7I3P109

How to Cite?

Tarif Sohail, "Border Communities and the Status of Education at the Line of Control," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 7,  no. 3, pp. 42-45, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V7I3P109

Abstract:

People living near the Line of Control (LoC) of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) are victims of dual hardship. On the one hand, they have been the victims of seven decades of international conflict persisting as existential cross-border ceasefire violations; on the other hand, they have
been the victims of apathy of the Union and former state governments. Of all the marginalized groups of people in India, these people have been the most voiceless as their voices of plea for peace, basic health, education and infrastructure have neither been represented nor acknowledged in the
mainstream public and political discourse. The deprivation and disadvantage of minorities, tribal peoples, and scheduled castes though unmitigated
has still found voice in Indian politics, the Constitution and academic circles since 1947. But the deprivation and the struggle for everyday survival
of the people at LoC irrespective of their caste, class, religion or gender has scarcely been a part of the discussion on social inequalities and exclusion in contemporary India. This paper is a qualitative research work that draws from ethnographic field studies from 2016 to 2018 in the border district of
Poonch to shed light on the status of education of border children at primary and secondary schools near the LoC. It attempts to argue that due to the
unstable nature of life at LoC the border people have not been able to understand and claim their right to education for their children against the Indian state due to whose foreign and domestic policies their everyday life is a struggle between life and death.

Keywords:

Jammu & Kashmir, Line of Control, Border Communities, Education.

References:

[1] Cohen, Maurice. “Thunder over Kashmir.” Orient Longman. 1955. Kolkata.
[2] Dasgupta, Jyoti Bhusan. “Jammu and Kashmir.” Martinus Nijhoff. 1968.The Hague.
[3] Ganguly, Sumit. “The Crisis in Kashmir: Portent of War, Hopes of Peace”. Cambridge University Press. 1997. Cambridge.
[4] Jacob, Happymon. “Ceasefire Violations in Jammu and Kashmir: A line On Fire.” Peaceworks, United States Institute of Peace, no.131,2017.
https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/PW131-Ceasefire-Violations-in-Jammu-and-Kashmir-A-Line-on-Fire.pdf.
[5] K.D. Maini. “Poonch: The battlefield of Kashmir”. Gulshan Books. 2012. Srinagar.
[6] Koithara, Verghese . “Crafting Peace in Kashmir: Through a Realist Lens”. Sage. 2018. New Delhi.
[7] Outlook. ‘J&K Landmine Blasts Victims Seek Justice.’ December 24, 2013. www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/jk-landmine-blastsvictims-
seek-justice/822286
[8] Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Appraisal Report for J&K. “Report on Education Sector in Jammu and Kashmir State” Jammu & Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration & Rural Development, April, 2010. http://www.ssa.nic.in/financial-mgmt-docs/ipai-reportsdocs-phase-iii/Jammu-Kashmir-IPAI_BR_.pdf
[9] Save the Children. “Frozen Education: A Study of Obstacles to Children’s Education.” 2010. Jammu and Kashmir. https://www.academia.edu/591945/Frozen_Education__a_study_of_obstacles_to_childrens_education_in_Jammu_and_Kashmir
[10] Shankar Jha, Prem. Kashmir 1947: Rival Versions of History. Oxford University Press. 1996. New Delhi.
[11] The Hindu. “Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in J&K’s Rajouri, Poonch” September 21, 2019. www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/pak-violatesceasefire-along-loc-in-jks-rajouripoonch/article29475729.ece