Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog

I launched the website and the Blog after having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents. The feedback was uniformly consistent. The bottom line is that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of priorities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity in all of Jammu and Kashmir.

The author had two reasons to create this blog. First, it was to address the question that was being asked repeatedly, especially, by journalists and other observers in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, inquiring whether the Kashmiri society was concerned about social, cultural and environmental challenges in the valley given that only political upheaval and violence were reported or highlighted by media.

Second, the author has covered the entire spectrum of societal issues and challenges facing Kashmiri people over an 8-year period with the exception of politics given that politics gets all the exposure at the expense of REAL CHALLENGES that will likely result in irreversible degradation in the quality of life and the standard of living for future generations of Kashmiris to come.

The author stopped adding additional material to the Blog once it was felt that most, if not all, concerns, challenges and issues facing the Kashmiri society are cataloged in the Blog. There are over 1900 entries in the Blog and most commentaries include short biographical sketches of authors to bring readers close to the essence of Kashmir. Unfortunately, the 8-year assessment also indicates that neither Kashmiri civil society, nor intellectuals or political leadership have any inclination or enthusiasm in pursuing issues that do not coincide with their vested political agendas. What it means for the future of Kashmiri children and their children is unfathomable. But the evidence is all laid out.

This Blog is a reality check on Kashmir. It is a historical record of how Kashmir lost its way.

Vijay Sazawal, Ph.D.
www.kashmirforum.org

Sunday, September 16, 2012

State Government is Playing With Children's Education

One more proof that Kashmiri public place greater trust in the Central Government than the J&K Government


Gulmarg School Faces Closure, Courtesy Govt

 
Srinagar: The centrally-funded Kendriya Vidyalaya in Gulmarg is on the verge of closure with its roll dropping from 175 to 11 as it has had to change locations several times because of the state government withholding land.
Set up some years ago in a private building, the school had come as a boon for underprivileged families seeking quality education for their children.
Initially running up to class five, the school had later been upgraded to class 12, but parents were forced to withdraw their children as it lacked stability.
Though after a long series of meetings between school authorities and the government, the forest department had been directed to allot 40 kanals of land for the institution, the order was never implemented.
The school chairman had even deposited the required sum of Rs 14.23 lakh with the public exchequer, but still the land was not granted.
From 175 students last year, the present roll of the school has dropped down to 11, putting a big question mark on its future. Observer News Service
 
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