From better teachers to better schools

Kashmir does not lack concern for education. Parents invest heavily in schooling and tuition, teachers work in difficult circumstances, schools regularly adopt new programmes, and policymakers frequently speak about reform. Yet the central question remains: are children learning better each year?

Put simply. Too often, educational improvement is discussed in terms of buildings, technology, textbooks, examinations or administrative restructuring. These matter, but they are not the heart of the system.

Learning happens in classrooms. If the quality of teaching does not improve, the education…