KarunaNews Story

In this part of Kashmir, the school day begins with the rhythm of water and paddles. Their destination: Kashmir’s floating schools — classrooms anchored on the lake. Dal Lake is home to entire communities who live in dongas, or wooden houseboats, and on scattered islands that exist on the edges of state infrastructure. Reaching school has never been simple for children here. There are no roads connecting their homes to the nearest city, just narrow canals, shifting water levels and the long paddle to land. Poverty, uncertainty and the absence of government planning also hinder access to schools. Enter the floating schools, a creation of parents, volunteer teachers and local organizers to ensure that their education does not sink beneath circumstance. The first floating school appeared in 2020, when the pandemic closed classrooms across the valley and families on Dal Lake decided to act. They cleared space on floating land, set up benches and a blackboard, and began teaching. Today, the school’s three teachers share lessons in English, Urdu, math, science, history and geography, and while the school is small and not yet affiliated with any official board, it pulses with ambition. Very few children in Kashmir’s lake communities miss school by choice. There are now also a handful of similar schools scattered across the lake’s small island communities.