n Azad Jammu and Kashmir, many children face a twofold disadvantage with respect to education: a lack of access to educational institutions and quality education. The region is dealing with a major education crisis. The access-to-education challenges faced by the children in the region require urgent redress. Despite some efforts to improve the facilities, there remain several barriers preventing children in the area from accessing quality education.

Education receives a significant proportion of the territory’s budget – 28 percent. However, the allocation is insufficient to provide an environment conducive to the delivery of quality education to all children. 99 percent of the money is used to pay salaries and allowances. This leaves a meager amount for operational expenditures. The Education Department’s share in the development budget is only 9 percent. According to AJK’s chief economist, out of this development budget, only 1.15 percent contributes to primary education. Percentage shares of middle, secondary and higher education are 9.25, 23.73 and 9.46, respectively.

The impact of infrastructure limitations in the AJK is evident in the lack of proper school buildings and classrooms. Many schools are poorly constructed and lack basic facilities such as electricity, clean water and functional toilets. This not only hampers the learning environment but also poses a risk to the safety and well-being of the children. Additionally, the remote and mountainous terrain of AJK makes it difficult for children to travel long distances to reach schools, further exacerbating the accessibility challenges. According to a research paper, A Critical Study of the Primary Education Situation in AJK State, 41 percent of schools lack buildings, 87 percent lack electricity, 73 percent lack access to drinking water and 82 percent have no boundary walls. This situation has led to a high dropout rate among students, particularly girls.

The situation of inadequate transportation infrastructure in schools has worsened since the devastating 2005 earthquake. The earthquake destroyed countless school buildings, leaving many students without a safe environment for learning. Girls, who already face numerous barriers to education, were disproportionately affected by the destruction caused by the earthquake, further increasing the dropout rate among girls in the region. Many of the promises with regard to reconstruction and development made following the earthquake remain unfulfilled. According to government officials many projects remain pending due to resource constraints since 2010.

Many of the children living in remote areas have to travel long distances to reach schools, which can be difficult and time-consuming. Additionally, a lack of reliable options for transportation often makes it even more challenging for children to attend school regularly. This hampers their educational progress and reduces their overall access to quality education. Inaccessibility during extreme weather episodes, particularly in hilly areas of AJK, can pose even greater challenges for school-going children. Once roads are washed away or blocked by landslides, it becomes nearly impossible for these children to reach school.

According to the Benazir Income Support Programme’s (BISP) survey of 2021, there are 216,000 children between the ages of six and 16 years who are not enrolled in any school in the region. This, despite the claim that the AJK has the highest literacy rate in the country.

The use of chairlifts in hilly areas is higher than in the plains. Five years ago, many residents of Neelam Valley relied on chairlifts for daily use. Arang Kel, a village in Neelam Valley, still heavily relies on chairlifts. So do many students. Falakan village in the lower Neelum Valley is primarily dependent on chairlifts. Children in Dusut village travel great distances to their schools using chairlifts. People in Patikka, a village in Muzaffarabad, depend on the lift since it covers shorter distances more efficiently than do far-off bridges. In many hilly locations, road access is limited, leaving residents with no choice except to use chairlifts. While many chairlifts are privately owned, some have been built and are maintained by the government, says Jalaluddin Mughal, a civil society activist and writer.

Lacking good roads, students in villages like Patikka and Arang Kel rely on chairlifts to commute to their schools. However, there are safety concerns associated with these chairlifts. The rugged terrain and harsh weather conditions pose risks for students using them. In order to ensure the safety of the students, regular maintenance and inspections of the chairlifts are crucial.

The proximity of many schools in Neelum Valley to the Line of Control is another issue. The constant threat of cross-border shelling and military presence in the region poses a significant risk to the safety and security of students and teachers on both sides. This has resulted in many parents being hesitant to send their children to school, particularly girls who are seen as more vulnerable to the dangers presented by the conflict, says Khawaja Ahsan, a resident of the Neelum Valley.

There is an urgent need for the local governments to invest in improving infrastructure in hilly areas. The construction of safe roads and transportation systems will allow students to have safer and more reliable means of accessing education. Meanwhile, educating students and their families about the importance of safety and precautions while using chairlifts is paramount. By fostering a culture of safety and responsibility, the risks associated with these modes of transportation can be minimised.

The writer is a freelance contributor based in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. She tweets at @hunain_mahmood and can be reached at hunainmehmud101@gmail.com