In Kashmir, ambition has long worn a familiar face. Given the history of conflict in Kashmir the most dependable jobs were in medicine and engineering and what wouldn’t one do to secure a ‘government job’. These were not organic career choices, rather guarantees of stability, dignity, and a way out of uncertainty, the most ‘secure’ route of income. But what happens when an entire generation of Kashmiri Youth is asked to dream within just two options?

Legacy of Education in Kashmir

Kashmir is not just geographically distinct; it is shaped by a unique socio-political reality. Frequent disruptions, limited industrial growth, international conflict, drug use amongst the youth and an unpredictable economic environment have meant that large-scale private sector ecosystems have struggled to take root. In such an environment, medicine and engineering become defaults where year after year, thousands of students prepare for the same entrances, chasing a narrowing funnel of opportunity. How are we preparing the Kashmiri youth for jobs of 2050?

Beneath the silent cost of narrow aspirations lies an uncomfortable reality too; not every student is meant to be a doctor or an engineer.

When a system values only two outcomes, it inadvertently:

Silences diverse talents; artists, writers, psychologists, entrepreneurs, and the........

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