IIOJK Education System Collapsing Under Unyielding Kashmir Conflict, Leaving Youth Deprived: Report

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Sep, 2025) In Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the ongoing conflict and heavy militarization have turned education into an unattainable dream, with the region’s education system collapsing under the weight of turmoil and depriving generations of youth of their fundamental right to learn.

A report released by Kashmir Media Service said how Kashmiri students can pay attention to education when they are witnessing the continued cordon and search operations, house raids, frisking and huge number of forces on roads and outside schools touting with guns and arresting of youth.

The report added that the heavy presence of Indian military and paramilitary personnel in occupied Jammu and Kashmir is badly affecting the education, one of the basic human rights of the people.

The report said the situation in occupied Kashmir worsened after the abrogation of the special status of the occupied territory by the Modi regime on August 05, 2019. It deplored that the BJP government has banned hundreds of schools run by Falah-e-Aam Trust across IIOJK, depriving thousands of students of quality education.

The another deliberate incident of paper leak surfaced on Sunday 24 August 2025 after the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection board (JKSSB) conducted the Junior Engineer (Electrical) examination, sparked outrage among aspirants and political leaders.

On social media, particularly on X, several users have shared videos purportedly showing JKSSB aspirants openly solving questions together, some even using mobile phones. The clips, now widely circulated, have further fuelled allegations of mismanagement and paper leaks.

From 2020 to 2025, almost every major examination in the occupied territory has faced controversies over leaks, scams or prolonged legal stays, leaving thousands of job-seekers frustrated.

Students said question papers were available on social media before the commencement of examination.

Saquib Jan, a student activist, said that in a region already burdened with one of the highest unemployment rates in India, such scandals only deepen the despair of youth. “We have seen paper leaks and irregularities time and again, but those at the top enjoy complete impunity. Accountability has been buried and students are left to suffer while the system rots,” he said.

He added, “The need of the hour is for heads to roll and for accountability to finally take charge. Nothing short of that will bring change in the system, because paper leaks cannot be allowed to turn into an annual circus at their expense.”

National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said, “Aspirants traveled from remote corners of Jammu and Kashmir with hope, only to face yet another collapse of the J&K SSB system. This is the direct result of a wrecked setup overseen by an unelected and unaccountable establishment.”

PDP leader Waheed Para said, “Scam after scam, and now another SSB paper leak. Students are seen openly trying to solve problems, yet after banning books and locking schools, the government’s sale of exam papers is another blow to J&K’s youth.”

Candidates appearing in August’s exam expressed deep concern, demanded impartial probe and long-term reforms to restore faith in the recruitment process.

The decades of internationally recognized disputed terrify and atrocities have disrupted children’s education in IIOJK.

The BJP’s New Education Policy in the territory reflects RSS ideology, while Kashmiri students are forced to sing Hindu songs and learn about Hindutva figures in IIOJK schools

While pointing out that Indian BJP government had snatched every right, including the right to education of the Kashmiri people, the report urged the international community to pay attention to the plight of students in IIOJK by helping resolve the Kashmir dispute in line with relevant UN resolutions.