Rayees Masroor 

Across Kashmir, a quiet but deeply concerning shift is unfolding within the education sector. While schools and colleges report robust enrollment figures, their classrooms—particularly at the higher secondary and undergraduate levels—are growing increasingly vacant. Simultaneously, commercial reading rooms (often loosely termed “libraries”) are experiencing an unprecedented surge in popularity.

More and more students are choosing to spend their academic hours in these silent study blocks rather than attending daily lectures. While private reading spaces certainly provide a quiet environment for self-study, the growing tendency to swap structured schooling for isolated preparation raises urgent questions about the future of education in the region.

Beyond the Textbooks: The Classroom as a Social Imperative

Education has never been a mere exercise in passing examinations or memorizing facts. As the philosopher and educator John Dewey famously noted, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

Academic institutions are vibrant learning hubs where young minds develop intellectually, socially, emotionally, and morally. Morning assemblies instill discipline and community spirit; classroom debates sharpen analytical thinking; and daily interactions with teachers and peers foster empathy, leadership, and resilience.

This human element is backed by foundational psychological principles. Lev Vygotsky’s Social Development Theory posits that learning is inherently a social process—one where knowledge is constructed through dialogue and peer collaboration. Similarly, Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory underscores that human behavior and skills are acquired through direct observation, mentorship, and real-time feedback. A commercial reading room may offer silence, but it can never provide guided instruction, intellectual discourse, or mentorship.

Navigating the 4th Industrial Revolution and NEP 2020

The argument for regular classroom attendance becomes even more compelling against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As artificial intelligence, automation, data science, and digital tools reshape global labor markets, standard subject knowledge is no longer enough. Today’s workforce demands critical thinking, adaptability, cross-cultural communication, and collaborative problem-solving—skills forged through group projects, presentations, seminars, and debates.

Furthermore, hands-on learning environments like science laboratories, computer suites, and modern innovation labs (such as Atal Tinkering Labs) spark the practical curiosity required for technological innovation. No reading desk can replicate the experiential discovery that happens inside a lab.

This holistic vision lies at the heart of India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which explicitly advocates for competency-based learning, multidisciplinary inquiry, and holistic student growth over rote memorization. Global data from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) consistently reinforces this stance: regular school attendance directly correlates not only with higher academic attainment, but also with stronger emotional resilience and long-term employability.

A Call for Balance and Systemic Reform

This is not an argument against reading rooms. They serve an undisputed purpose during exam cycles, offering a disciplined, distraction-free environment for revision. However, self-study must remain complementary to institutional learning, not a replacement for it.

Addressing this trend requires collective action from parents, educators, and policy makers:

• Schools and Colleges must modernize their pedagogy, integrating interactive tech, active learning models, career counseling, sports, and creative arts to make classroom attendance genuinely engaging.
• Parents must look beyond test scores, recognizing that a child’s long-term success relies heavily on character building, social intelligence, and life skills developed in shared academic environments.

The sight of crowded reading rooms juxtaposed against empty classrooms across Kashmir should serve as a wake-up call. Reading rooms may help students clear an examination, but schools and colleges prepare them to navigate the world. To build a resilient, innovative, and skilled generation equipped for 21st-century challenges, we must restore the sanctity and culture of the classroom.

(About the Author: Rayees Masroor is an educationist and columnist based in North Kashmir, writing on education, policy, and youth affairs. He can be reached at rayeesmasroor111@gmail.com.)