Srinagar, June 16 -- By Mubark Ahmad

Government schools built Kashmir's early gains in literacy and upward movement for ordinary families.

These institutions once reached remote villages and gave children from modest homes a real chance to learn and advance.

But enrollment now drops consistently as parents watch their sons and daughters fall short in basic skills and exams.

Teachers stretched thin by outside duties, classrooms that lack reliable guidance, and a stubborn belief that paid schools deliver stronger results have combined to drive this shift.

The trend creates a cycle where underperformance feeds further departure, leaving public education weakened and the gap between haves and have-nots wider than ever.

Daily classroom e...