Floating schools in Kashmir: how children learn on Dal Lake

What should be done when children’s journey to school is not so much “uphill” as “against the current”? The residents of Kashmir decided to deal with demanding natural conditions and a difficult political situation on their own. They created floating schools on Dal Lake. This is an informal initiative that focuses not only on teaching school subjects, but also on living in harmony with nature. What does learning in such places look like?

Where did the idea for floating schools on Dal Lake come from?

The first floating school in the Kashmir region was established in 2020, during the pandemic. The lockdown, however, was not the first limitation affecting the education of local students. Similar situations occurred relatively often, mainly due to the tense political situation between India and Pakistan. Schools on land were periodically closed, and students and parents painfully felt the lack of planning and communication from the government on this issue.

An additional barrier to education in Kashmir is poverty and difficult natural conditions. Reaching a school in Srinagar, the nearest city, by land is a major challenge. Residents must use other means of transport, boats moving through the narrow channels of Dal Lake. Frequent and unplanned school closures meant that many parents did not want to risk a dangerous journey and decided not to send their children to the city.

A typical day in a floating school

What does everyday life look like for the youngest residents of Kashmir? Children dressed in uniforms are taken by boat by their parents. Older ones row on their own. The journey to a floating school can take up to several dozen minutes, but the route is varied. Along the way, students may encounter elderly people traveling by boat to the mosque or vegetable vendors transporting their goods to the city, as the lake is the primary means of transport for most residents.

On site, children stay in simple structures floating on the water, equipped with benches and blackboards. They learn basic subjects: mathematics, the Urdu language, history, geography, and English. Studying in the lake environment provides an opportunity to become more familiar with nature and physical phenomena such as the freezing of water.

There are days when classes cannot take place. During the harsh winter, floating schools are closed, but teachers do not forget about their students. They visit them, delivering books and learning materials.

Schools off land and outside the system

Floating schools on Dal Lake differ from others not only in their unusual form and location. Education on the lake is, for now, not connected to the official education system. It is an initiative of parents and local non-governmental organizations. Habibullah, one of the parents quoted by the portal Reasons to be cheerful, describes the main assumption of informal education:

This is not a place for grades. This is a place for learning.

Classes in floating schools are small, which allows teachers to devote more time to each student. As parents emphasize, this means that even shy children gain confidence over time and speak up boldly in class.

Floating schools also stand out for their original curriculum, created by non-governmental organizations and local volunteers. The program focuses largely on what is close to children, living in harmony with nature. Teachers also want to invest in children’s digital skills. The launch of a facility equipped with computers is planned. The equipment is to be powered by solar panels.

Schools are maintained through parental fees. These are small and are mainly intended to cover the costs of notebooks, chalk, and repairs.

The first floating school on Dal Lake quickly found followers. Several such initiatives have already been established in the Kashmir region.