One teacher’s mission revives a forgotten school in Kashmir’s Bandipora

In North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, where the motto, Alim (Knowledge), Adab (Manners), Aab (Water) echoes, a pre-independence school shows decades of neglect. GMS Onagam school is one of the many schools in Kashmir that have steadily eroded due to political unrest, socio-economic challenges and shifting educational preferences. Families have increasingly turned to private schools, leaving this campus silent, until one teacher revived its legacy.

A native of the area, Jawad Jawad took charge of the GMS Onagam school and began the painstaking work of restoring its past glory. Today, his efforts are a blueprint for reviving this institution.

Bringing students back

Under his leadership, the school regained relevance. Initiatives were designed to bring parents back into the fold and encouraged them to entrust their children to the institution despite its modest mud-and-thatch structures. Even families who had shifted their children to private schools began re-enrolling their children.

Student enrolment steadily increased under Mr. Jawad’s leadership — from merely 112 students in 2018 to more than 200 in 2025. “I got the opportunity to head the school in 2018,” Mr. Jawad recalls. “Since then, this mission to revive the school has been my sole focus.”

Built in 1935, the school is situated in Onagam, the village of Ahmadullah Affandi also known as Baba‑e‑JK Scouting, an Indian national award-winning scout from Jammu and Kashmir. The school operates out of a rented building that has become a sanctuary for many below-poverty-line children.

Infrastructure struggle

Infrastructure challenges remain stark: rainwater enters the classrooms; a single restroom is shared by students and teachers; there is no separate washroom for girls; potable water is scarce; and the first floor doubles as a kitchen. The building itself bears the marks of decades of neglect.

Locals hope the administration will approve a comprehensive reconstruction plan for the benefit of deserving students. “Our hearts always linger in fear because we don’t know when any calamity can happen,” Misra, mother of a student, Khalid, sobs. “I keep praying to God every time to keep our children safe because the structure is in shambles.”

Beyond academics, raising resources

Under Mr. Jawad’s presence, education went beyond academics. Co-curricular and extracurricular revitalised learning. Programs target nutrition, gender equity, communication skills, moral values, personality development, social responsibility, physical fitness and overall well-being.

Mr. Jawad expanded the resources of the school significantly. Digital learning tools now complement student publications such as Shaadab, Bachcho Ki Duniya, and the Kashmiri periodical Soan Meeraas, fostering creativity and innovation. Recently, the Moul Mouj Foundation (MMF) sponsored the participation of students from GMS Onagam in the two-day workshop TechKnow 2025, organised by DPS Srinagar.

Book distributions, workshops, elderly meets, and visits by eminent personalities have now become a regular part of the school’s routine. Every week, some notable person interacts with the students. “It’s like a home for us now,” says Khalid as he points toward the classroom where he listens to guests. “Not only do the revered people visit us, even local common citizens share their journeys with us.”

Addressing the community’s distrust of government schools, Mr. Jawad has cultivated support from medical professionals, elders, labourers and volunteers. For instance, Reshi Mohammad Azad, a citizen of Bandipora, donated a state-of-the-art microscope. A local carpenter, Ghulam Hassan, renovated the staircase free of charge, describing it as “a journey through time.”

Teachers donate warm clothing and shoes to underprivileged students, and volunteers assist with educational initiatives. On this year’s Teacher’s Day stationery items worth ₹65,000 were distributed among 150 under-privileged students. “Despite our school being deteriorated physically, our learning stature is high that made CM praise us,” says Saqib who was part of TechKnow where the Chief Minister praised the institution for its unique initiatives.

Cultural and community programmes foster confidence and broaden students’ horizons. Weekly medical screenings safeguard health, while programmes like Know Your Elders, Know Your Institutions, Know Your Neighbourhood, Meet the Eminent, and Schooling with Skill, Jummah Thool in MDM, Junk-Free Institution, enhance exposure.

Under Mr. Jawad, students visited the Polytechnic College, IUST, DH Bandipora, Forest Training College, SKUAST‑Kashmir, the Central University of Kashmir, and DPS Srinagar, making it the first government middle school in the valley to participate in such large-scale initiatives. “These initiatives just did not boost him academically but his overall behaviour and intention towards society changed,” says Misra, about the impact in Khalid.

Progress

Uzma Altaf, an Class 8 student, remembers her time in a private school. She says, “I never got a chance to present in the morning assembly. Today I am the secretary of the GMS Onagam school.”

“Now, our children are excelling in every field, not just in education,” says Misra, who has been to the school many times during parent-teacher meetings. “Javaid Sahab always welcomed parents and revitalised the school. Before that, the future seemed bleak.”

Mr. Jawad, who began his teaching career in September 1997, has emerged as one of the region’s finest educators. In 2011, he was recognised as Bandipora’s finest educator by the State education department, and in 2021, he received the State-level accolade for best teacher. Mr. Jawad’s commitment has transformed the fortune of a once-forgotten government school, shaping the futures of hundreds of young students.

Uncertainty

A new development adds to the uncertainty: in September 2025 several teachers, including Mr. Javaid, were transferred. Now, with Mr. Jawad transferred to Laherwalpora, parents are increasingly anxious. Many frequently visit officials, pleading for his return.

“I feel hopeless about my children’s education again,” says Altaf Ahmad, a concerned parent. “The school is in shambles, and without Javaid Sahab, we fear for our future.”

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