‘Before you judge private school teachers, look at their realities’
Nowsheen Mushtaq
The recent remarks on private school teachers have not just raised questions; they have exposed a distance between policy-level perceptions and classroom realities.
In my experience, the world of private school teaching in Kashmir looks very different from how it is often portrayed. It is not uncommon to find PhD holders, NET, SET and JRF qualifiers working in private institutions. I have seen individuals with the highest academic credentials standing in modest classrooms, teaching with sincerity, not because they lack merit, but because opportunities in the government sector remain limited and uncertain. Many of these same individuals continue to apply for even Plus Two-level posts, not out of choice, but out of compulsion.
This situation did not emerge overnight. For years, teaching positions in the government sector have remained frozen or irregularly filled, creating a backlog of highly qualified yet unemployed or underemployed educators. Private schools, despite their limitations, have absorbed this workforce. They have become a space where talent survives, even if it is not always recognised or fairly compensated.
Before labelling private school teachers as underqualified, it is important to pause and examine their working conditions. A large number of teachers work for salaries that barely reflect their qualifications. Job security is minimal. Work hours extend far beyond the classroom, often including administrative duties, event management, and constant monitoring of student performance. There is little room for professional growth, and even less institutional protection.
And yet, despite all this, these teachers show up every day. They prepare lessons, manage classrooms, support children emotionally, and strive to maintain standards that are expected of them, often without the resources they truly need.
It is difficult to understand why these realities are so rarely acknowledged. Why is there no equally strong public discourse on improving their working conditions? Why is there silence on delayed salaries, lack of benefits, and absence of job stability? Why are these concerns overlooked, while a sweeping remark about qualifications finds immediate voice?
There is also a contradiction that cannot be ignored. If government schools are indeed stronger in terms of faculty and infrastructure, why do so many, including those within the system, choose private schools for their own children? This is not a question of criticism, but one of reflection. It indicates that quality in education is not defined by recruitment alone, but by consistency, accountability, and trust.
In my experience, teaching is not determined by a certificate alone. It is reflected in the ability to connect, to adapt, and to make learning meaningful. Private school teachers, despite systemic challenges, continue to uphold this responsibility with quiet resilience.
Statements that generalise an entire community of educators risk diminishing not just their qualifications, but their dignity. At a time when the education system needs unity and reform, such divisions only weaken the collective effort.
It is time to look beyond assumptions and engage with realities. To listen before concluding. To support before comparing.
Because every teacher, regardless of where they stand, is shaping the same future.
The writer is a private school teacher
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