Chanting lessons from the Quran, discussing “desh prem” (patriotism), teaching the duties of being a “Hindustani”, and lessons on “Bharatiyata” while learning the true meaning of “Kashmiriyat” – this is how Rashtriya Sewa Bharati, affiliated to the Ekal Vidyalaya Abhiyan project, has made successful inroads among Kashmiri Muslims and managed to establish and run 1,250 schools for children in the Valley, that has an over 95% Muslim population. Sewa Bharati is an educational initiative of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The 1,250 Ekal Vidyalayas (an informal school education system) spread across 10 districts in Kashmir valley also include 180 such schools in Kashmir’s Baramulla district, which has witnessed several terror attacks on civilians and security forces. According to data available with the organisation, the Valley saw an around 53% jump in the number of Ekal Vidyalayas since 2022, from 800 to 1,250 in the past two years.
News18 has accessed exclusive details of the success story of Sewa Bharati, which has achieved a feat that was almost “unthinkable” in Kashmir a few years ago, said security experts and academicians. For security reasons and to respect the sensitivity of the situation in the Valley, News18 is withholding the names and details of the teachers, and the project leads of various districts in Kashmir.
KEY OBJECTIVES
The schools have Muslim students, primarily girls, and have been run and maintained by Muslim teachers and Aviyan Pramukhs (project in-charges). Village committees with five to six members in each supervise the schools. Some of them are local representatives of panchayats as well. The primary objective has been to teach the true value of “Kashmiriyat”, “desh prem”, duties of being a “Hindustani”, and protecting them from joining the stone-pelters, said a senior member of the committee.
This story was originally published in news18.com. Read the full story here.