Kashmir’s latest PTM drive aims to deepen parental involvement, rebuild trust, and promote holistic, community-driven education in government schools
Why should parents and community members step into schools if learning is already happening between students and teachers? The answer lies in the transformative power of partnership, and Kashmir’s latest PTM drive is showing us how.
In what could be described as a defining prelude to the massive Parent–Teacher Meetings and public outreach programme that are being held from 9 August to 5 September 2025 across government schools in the Kashmir division, the Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) struck a deep chord with parents and community members at Poshkar Khag on 7 August. Addressing the large gathering, he distilled the essence of the initiative into a simple yet profound line that resonated across the audience: “School is the village, and village is the school.”Emphasising that the community is as important to the school as the teachers and students, he underlined the vision that school learning should be reflected in the community, and community knowledge should, in turn, enrich the school.
Traditionally, public outreach in the School Education Department meant boosting enrolment drives. But these PTMs go far beyond that. They are designed to help parents realise the pivotal role they play in the teaching–learning process, where the entire system rests on four strong pillars: the student, the teacher, the parent, and the environment. They aim to show the community how government schools have transformed — offering quality, balanced, and holistic education — while also blending alumni meets with student showcases. In doing so, they seek to revitalise public trust in the government school system and position it as a source of pride for the community.
This conviction finds resonance in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which states: In collaboration with parents and other key local stakeholders, teachers will also be more involved in the governance of schools/school complexes, including as members of the School Management Committees/School Complex Management Committees.(5.11)
The policy states that schools must be integrated with the local community by involving parents, alumni, and community members in school activities, and by encouraging reciprocal learning between the school and the community.”
In this spirit, the Department of School Education has launched a district-wide programme of Parent-Teacher Meetings (PTMs) and public outreach from 9 August 2025 — a platform not just for dialogue but for deep-rooted partnership.
The School Education Department would once hold public outreach programmes mainly to boost enrolment. But these PTMs go much further. They aim to make parents realise the indispensable role they play in the teaching–learning process, for the system rests on four pillars: the student, the teacher, the parent, and the environment. They are equally designed to show the community how government schools have evolved, providing quality, balanced, and holistic education. By integrating alumni meets, showcasing school achievements, and creating spaces for honest discussion, these meetings seek to revitalise public trust in the public education system.
Javed Ahmad Banday, DEPO Budgam and educationist, describes it aptly: “These PTMs are not an end in themselves but a means to an end — and the real work begins when the meetings conclude. In line with the NEP’s vision of parental participation in holistic child development, PTMs sensitise parents to collaborate with the schooling system for the all-round growth of their children. At times, a lack of cooperation or a casual approach from parents can hinder a child’s learning journey. Through PTMs, we make parents aware of how their active role can help schools improve quality education.”
This perspective is echoed by Ruheed Gull, NEP Implementation Committee member for the J&K School Education Department, who stresses: “PTMs can be a powerful way to reinforce community ownership of government schools, which is essential for their sustainability. The public should aspire for the development of public schools and take pride in ensuring they endure for future generations. It is equally important to make them realise that the education imparted here reflects the aspirations of the very community they serve.”
The NEP also reinforces this philosophy in its approach to assessment through the Holistic Progress Card (HPC), which it describes as: “an important link between home and school and will be accompanied by parent-teacher meetings to actively involve parents in their children’s holistic education and development. The progress card would also provide teachers and parents with valuable information on how to support each student in and out of the classroom”.
Let these meetings be the harbinger of what the NEP envisions — a 360-degree, all-round development of students, where parents are as actively engaged in their child’s progress as teachers. The HPC recognises this by giving due space to the parental role, from providing resources to nurturing overall growth, and even including a dedicated provision for parental feedback in the progress card itself. It is, therefore, inevitable to actively involve parents, community members, and civil society in the seamless functioning of schools, and these PTMs are designed precisely to serve that purpose.
Beyond the conventional meeting
The Department is determined to make these PTMs more than just routine check-ins. Each gathering has been designed as a vibrant community event—a space where learning outcomes, aspirations, and community spirit converge. Parents can expect:
• Student-led showcases — from science projects to cultural performances and sports displays — that reflect the diverse talents nurtured in school.
• Open conversations where parents share their aspirations and concerns directly with teachers, shaping a shared vision for each child’s growth.
• Alumni inspirations, as former students return to narrate their journeys, offering living proof of what the school can help achieve.
• Clear and accessible performance dashboards presenting the school’s progress in academics, attendance, and extracurriculars with full transparency.
By blending celebration with constructive dialogue, these PTMs aim to ensure that every parent leaves not just informed but inspired, confident in the school’s dedication to the holistic growth of its learners.
The Divisional Nodal Officer of the NIPUN Bharat Mission at SCERT J&K, Sheikh Gulzar Ahmad, wrote in Rising Kashmir: “The implementation of reforms in Kashmir truly embodies the spirit of ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child.’ Educational progress is emerging from collaborative efforts involving all stakeholders, ensuring that learning is deeply embedded in community life. This holistic approach makes learning permeate homes, community centres, playgrounds, and marketplaces, with school walls becoming increasingly permeable to community influence and participation.”
In essence, these PTMs are more than dates on a calendar. They are the Department’s commitment to transforming the school–community relationship from a polite handshake into a lasting embrace. If embraced in the right spirit, they can help rebuild trust, foster shared responsibility, and make education in government schools not just a public service but a public pride. Let the community as a whole embrace this initiative on the part of the department and, in true spirit, come forward to make education as vibrant as envisaged in the policy.
The writer is a teacher and teacher trainer
Irshad Ahmad Wani
ab******@***il.com