Imagine a garden. If the gardener decides that only rose bushes are allowed to grow, what happens to the lilies, the tulips, and the wild daisies? The garden loses its beauty. It becomes a factory, not a part of nature.
For a long time, our education system in Kashmir has felt like that gardener. We try to force every flower to be a rose. We try to force every child to be a doctor or an engineer. But the human soul is vast, and the world is changing.
It is time we opened the gates. It is time for the culture of Open Schooling.
What is Open Schooling?
Open schooling is a simple but powerful idea. It means that learning does not have to happen inside a building with four walls, between 9 AM and 4 PM.
In a traditional school, everyone moves at the same speed. If you are fast, you must wait. If you are slow, you get left behind. Open schooling is different. It allows a student to learn at their own pace. It allows a student to choose subjects they actually love, maybe mixing Physics with Painting, or History with Coding. It is education that fits the student, instead of forcing the student to fit the education.
In many countries, like the USA, Finland, and parts of Europe, the idea of "school" has changed completely. They realized long ago that a mark sheet is just a piece of paper.
In these places, if a child is good at sports, they can focus on sports while studying math at home. If a child wants to travel and learn from nature, they can do that and take exams when they are ready. They have adapted because they know that curiosity is more important than discipline. They value the mind that asks questions more than the mind that memorizes answers.
In Kashmir, we have created a heavy atmosphere. We have made our children believe that exams like NEET (for doctors) and JEE (for engineers) are the only doors to a good life.
This is a dangerous illusion.
When thousands of students compete for a few hundred seats, we are setting up the majority for heartbreak. We tell them, "If you don't pass this, you are nothing." This crushes their spirit. A truth we must accept is this: A society cannot run on doctors and engineers alone.
We Need a Balanced Society
Think of a clock. It needs big gears and small gears. It needs springs and screws. If every part tried to be the main gear, the clock would break.
To build a healthy, happy Kashmir, we need more than just medical professionals.
We need writers to tell our stories.
We need farmers who understand modern technology.
We need artists to bring color to our lives.
We need entrepreneurs to create jobs, not just seek them.
We need philosophers to help us think.
When we force a potential artist to become an unhappy engineer, the society loses a great artist and gains a bad engineer. Everyone loses.
The Power of Practical Work
The world is shifting from "What do you know?" to "What can you do?"
In an open schooling culture, a student can finish their studies while working on a real project. They can learn coding by building a website, not just reading a book. This is practical work.
We also need to normalize the Gap Year. In many cultures, after finishing school, students take a year off. They do not rush to college. They travel, they work in a shop, they learn to cook, or they just sit and think about what they want to do.
In Kashmir, we see a gap year as a "wasted year." But, a pause is not always a waste. A pause is where music happens. Without silence between notes, there is no melody. A gap year helps a young person find their purpose so they don't spend their life climbing the wrong mountain.
Letting the Birds Fly
Success shouldn't cost peace of mind. Open schooling is not an excuse to be lazy; it is a way to be free.
We need to stop competing to be the same flower. If I am not a rose, let me be a pine tree. Let me be great at being me. It is time for a culture where our unique paths are respected, and we can bloom in our own season.