(Yun qatl se bacchon ke woh badnaam na hota
Afsos ke Firon ko college ki na soojhi)
— Akbar Allahabadi
I Ahmed Wani:
Akbar Allahabadi’s piercing verse exposes the tragedy of exploiting education to fuel division, a reality that resonates deeply in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) today. The J&K government’s bold decision on August 22, 2025, to take over the management of 215 Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT) schools, run by the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI), marks a pivotal moment. Driven by adverse intelligence reports and expired school committee terms, this move is not just a security necessity but a transformative opportunity to empower 51,363 students and forge a future of unity, innovation, and progress. Yet, opposition leaders like Sajad Lone and contradictions within the ruling National Conference (NC) reveal a political chessboard where vote-bank politics threaten national integration. Sanjay Kumar of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Front (JKNPF) offers a clarion call to uproot JEI’s toxic ideology, urging J&K to transform these schools into beacons of hope.
JEI’s Toxic Legacy: A Threat to J&K’s Future
Founded in 1942, Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) has long masked its divisive agenda with social services. FAT schools, once numbering over 300 and educating over 75,000 students in 2014, including 5,000 orphans, provided affordable education but often at a grave cost. Their curriculum frequently blended modern subjects with an ideology glorifying jihad and separatism, grooming youth for militancy. JEI’s creation of Hizbul Mujahideen, responsible for countless atrocities, including the 2019 Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF personnel, marks it as a destabilizing force. Intelligence reports consistently flag FAT schools as ideological incubators, with alumni joining terrorist ranks. The 2019 ban on JEI under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, reaffirmed in 2024, was a critical step to curb its influence.
Sanjay Kumar, patron of the JKNPF—a party rooted in national integration and a fierce stand against terrorism—labels JEI as the “root cause of J&K’s biggest challenges: drug menace, unemployment, and social evils.” He warns that JEI’s fundamentalist ideology “turns a normal youth into a fanatic, from Dhaka to Islamabad, Kandahar to Egypt, transforming common men into extremists.” Kumar’s vision is resolute: “Instead of sowing the seeds of radicalism in young minds, let’s create doctors and engineers from these schools.” His call aligns with the government’s takeover, a chance to liberate these institutions and foster education that unites and uplifts.
A New Vision for FAT Schools
The J&K Home Department’s decision to restructure FAT school management under the National Education Policy (NEP) is a proactive step to secure the future of 51,363 students. District Magistrates are overseeing the transition, with Higher Secondary School principals temporarily managing operations and new committees to be formed. Education Minister Sakina Itoo, in a video message on August 22, 2025, emphasized the government’s commitment to uninterrupted education, clarifying that the Home Department, not the NC-led government, initiated the move. This is J&K’s moment to reimagine these schools as centers of excellence. By adopting NEP’s holistic framework, the government can introduce modern curricula, digital classrooms, and vocational training. Scholarships, free textbooks, and career counseling can empower students, especially the 5,000 orphans once dependent on FAT, to become architects of a peaceful, prosperous J&K.
Empowering the Marginalized: A Call for Accountability
One fails to understand whose children are actually studying in the FAT schools—certainly not those of political leaders, nor even the grandchildren of Syed Ali Shah Geelani ever attended these institutions. The reality is that it is the ordinary students who deserve better opportunities and a secure academic environment. The teaching staff must be carefully reviewed and re-recruited, with those who have poisoned or continue to poison the secular fabric of Jammu and Kashmir shown the door without delay. Furthermore, these schools should be entrusted to new, responsible managements that are genuinely committed to education, where individuals with proven academic backgrounds and strong nationalistic credentials are given their rightful place to ensure quality learning and a progressive outlook.
Vote-Bank Politics vs. National Integration
The opposition’s response, led by Sajad Lone of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC), exposes a troubling obsession with electoral gains. In a scathing press note on August 22, 2025, Lone accused the NC of “political overreach and servility,” calling the takeover a “shameful” attack on education. His allies, including the Awami Ittehad Party and Apni Party’s Altaf Bukhari, echoed this, framing the move as an assault on affordable education. Their defense of JEI’s institutions reeks of opportunism, aiming to tap JEI’s cadre-based vote bank in the Kashmir Valley.
Even more alarming is the NC’s own contradictions. Though ideologically secular, the NC has at times aligned with JEI’s interests for political gain. Months ago, a viral video showed supporters of Education Minister Sakina Itoo, whose father Wali Mohammad Itoo was killed by terrorists, chanting “Hum Kya Chahte? Azadi!”—the signature slogan of the separatist Hurriyat Conference—while defending JEI and FAT schools. This stark hypocrisy, where leaders whose families suffered at the hands of militancy echo separatist rhetoric, exposes a “votefobia” that erodes national integration. Lone, whose father was also killed by terrorists in Srinagar, similarly sidesteps JEI’s history. The 2024 elections showed JEI’s waning influence, with its candidates losing in strongholds like Kulgam, where a communist leader triumphed. Clinging to JEI’s fading vote bank risks alienating voters who demand progress over polarization.
A Call to Action: Education Over Ideology
The takeover of FAT schools is J&K’s chance to break free from JEI’s ideological chains. Sanjay Kumar’s vision of producing “doctors and engineers, not extremists” is a rallying cry for a united J&K. The government must act decisively—invest in teacher training, STEM programs, and modern infrastructure. Expand social welfare schemes to uplift marginalized students, ensuring no child is left behind. By embracing NEP’s focus on holistic education, J&K can nurture a generation that builds bridges, not bombs.
To the opposition and the NC, it’s time to reject vote-bank politics and separatist slogans. Instead of shielding JEI’s legacy, join the mission to transform FAT schools into hubs of opportunity. J&K’s youth deserve leaders who champion their dreams, not divisive agendas.
A Future Worth Building
Akbar Allahabadi’s verse reminds us that true education empowers, not destroys. The takeover of FAT schools is a vibrant opportunity to forge a J&K where education drives unity, innovation, and hope. Let’s honor the sacrifices of those lost to terrorism by ensuring these schools produce leaders, not fanatics. With visionaries like Sanjay Kumar and the JKNPF leading the charge, and a government committed to progress, J&K can transform this moment into a legacy of empowerment. The time is now: let’s build schools that shape a brighter, united future for all.
