Far From Roads & Cities, Kashmir’s Tent Schools Are Bringing Education to Nomadic Kids

Every spring, as snow melts off the high-altitude pastures of Kashmir, the Gujjar and Bakarwal nomadic communities begin their annual migration. They trek for days into the meadows with their livestock — far from roads, markets, and schools.

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A classroom amid the clouds

Until recently, this seasonal journey meant children had to pause their education for months. But today, tent schools set up deep in these mountain trails are bridging that gap.

Launched in 2003 through a collaboration between the Jammu and Kashmir government and the central government, the Seasonal Education Programme recruits hundreds of teachers every year to run these mobile classrooms in remote pastures.

“These schools make a real difference,” said Mir Mohammad, a tribal elder. “Every summer, we bring our livestock here — and now, our children can study too.”

Learning on the move

Inside these makeshift tents, nestled among forests and streams, children sit cross-legged on floor mats, reciting lines from textbooks. They walk uphill every morning, crossing uneven paths and icy streams, to reach class.

Video Credit: Instagram/BBC News

“My grandfather, father and mother take the goats out to graze,” said Ifrat, a young girl. “But I don’t go with them. I come to school. I want to become a doctor.”

For children like Ifrat, these schools mean everything. “If there were no schools here, I wouldn't be able to study,” she added.

Teaching against all odds

While the schools provide a lifeline, the challenges are immense. Teachers like Hilal Ahmed walk nearly seven kilometres daily to reach their students, often in harsh weather.

“The government gives us tents, but when it rains, they leak,” he noted. “We have to shut down for the day. These children already come from poor families, and lack basics like notebooks, pencils, even uniforms.”

There’s also no nearby healthcare, shops, or support.

“If we need anything, we must walk down to the plains,” Ifrat said.

A ray of hope in the highlands

Despite these hurdles, the programme continues to have strong support from nomadic communities. Government data shows that 28,518 children were enrolled in seasonal schools in 2015–16, and 22,946 in 2016–17. Recent reports suggest the number has now risen to over 33,000 children, taught by nearly 1,500 seasonal teachers each year across Jammu and Kashmir. 

While numbers fluctuate due to mobility and terrain, mobile classrooms are helping ensure education doesn’t stop at the edge of a road.

When the families return to the plains in winter, the children rejoin formal schools — carrying with them months of learning gained under tent roofs.

These seasonal schools are more than a temporary solution. In these fragile tents, built from cloth and courage, a generation is learning to dream beyond the mountains. They study through storms, walk miles for a class, and hold on to the idea that learning can travel — even where roads do not.

Sources:

‘Seasonal schools keep learning alive for nomadic children in Kashmir:’ by Gulzar Bhat for Greater Kashmir, published on 23 June 2025

‘How these unique schools are transforming the lives of nomadic children’: by Shafat Farooq and Bisma Farooq for BBC India; published on 19 October 2025.

‘Kashmir's seasonal teachers risk their lives, make students aim big’: by The Economic Times, Published on 21 September 2023.

Feature image from Greater Kashmir.