Our Shared Mission: The FLN Journey in Jammu and Kashmir
By: Mukhtar Ahmad Qureshi
When we talk about foundational literacy and numeracy, we are not just discussing a target or a policy initiative; we are addressing the core of our children’s future. FLN mission under National Education Policy 2020 has been the incredible transformation journey in which all of us teachers, parents, trainers, and administrators come together to bring a brighter future for our children by ensuring basic literacy and numeracy skills to them, as a starting point for all education.
Looking Back at Our FLN Experience
The past couple of years have seen a renewed focus on building foundational skills among children in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a mission that goes beyond mere numbers but creates curiosity filled, creative, and confident classrooms. We have seen schools change and adapt, turning into nurturing environments where children are encouraged to explore and learn through activity-based methods.
ECCE Teachers: Architects of Early Learning
As ECCE teachers, your role in this journey is invaluable. You are the first point of contact for our young learners, and your efforts to create engaging, activity based, and child centric classrooms have been exceptional. Through play based learning, interactive storytelling, and creative activities, you have laid the foundation for a love of learning among children.
You have also demonstrated great resiliency and flexibility in putting FLN directives into practice. From implementing innovative teaching methods, converting adversity into opportunities, to designing low-cost teaching aids or using local resources to make learning fun, your dedication is always motivating.
Primary Teachers: The Building Blocks of Dreams
You, as primary teachers, are builders of dreams, ensuring the foundational skills established in ECCE are fostered and built. Your patient efforts in teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic to children have made all the difference. Activity based techniques, peer learning, and individual attention have helped children overcome learning gaps and build confidence. You have been instrumental in creating inclusive classrooms where every child is valued. Whether working in the remotest corners or handling big classes, it is your commitment to the progress of each learner that has made the success story of FLN possible.
It is as a teacher and resource person, deeply rooted in the principles of play based learning, where creativity, engagement, and child centered approaches take center stage. The focus has always been on how to make learning an enjoyable and meaningful experience for children, and empowering my fellow educators with innovative strategies to implement activity based education.
This journey has been possible because of the support and inspiration I received from remarkable individuals. I extend heartfelt thanks to MasroorSaraf (Ex Lecturer DIET Sopore) for his invaluable guidance, Anima Ma’am from Baramulla for her encouragement, and Mohammad IqbalBadana and Mohammad Abid Mir (Masters) for their mentorship. I am equally thankful to Muslim Bin Akil (Teacher) for his cooperation, NazirQureshiIbnShahbaz (Master) for introducing me to the literary world, and Sheikh Gulzar from SCERT for his unflinching support.
DIETs and SCERT: Guidance for the Mission
We cannot forget the role of the District Institutes of Education and Trainings and the Jammu and Kashmir State Council of Educational Research and Training. You have been the backbone of this mission, ensuring that teachers receive the training, resources, and guidance necessary to implement FLN effectively.
Your capacity building programs, workshops, and developing innovative resources enabled teachers to follow child centered methodologies. Through enabling opportunities for joint learning, research, and experimenting, you allowed the FLN mission to grow sustainable and potent.
Parents: The First Teachers
Parents should not be forgotten on this journey because, as parents, you are the first teacher to your child, and taking an interest in their education can be the difference. Co working with the teachers, supporting what they are teaching at home, and promoting the right attitude to education, will all make part of the success of the FLN mission.
Celebrating Achievements
Together, we’ve made some good progress. The net enrollment for ECCE programs has increased, classrooms are more alive, children have measurable gains in foundational skills, and schools in Jammu and Kashmir are practicing innovation like using local cultural resources to relate to learning.
Moreover, the inducting of ICT based tools and digital resources has provided a new dimension to teaching that makes learning more involving and interactive. More significantly, this success can be ascribed to the dedication and joint efforts of all teachers involved in ECCE programs, primary teachers, DIETs, and SCERT.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
We must, therefore, not forget the problems that lie ahead. Most children are still learning gaps, either because of socio economic reasons, lack of access to quality education, or after-effects of the pandemic. We must remain committed and innovative to bridge these gaps.
Let us take forward enhancing teacher training, building community engagement, and making full use of technology to achieve fair access to quality education. Cooperation among all parties’ teachers, parents, administrators, and policymakers will help keep the FLN’s mission momentum on track.
Our Collective Responsibility
This is not about one individual or one institution. Rather, this is about us working together as a community for the betterment of our children. Every step we make today will determine their tomorrow. And as such, teachers must continue to innovate and inspire; parents must continue being actively involved; and as administrators, we provide the support system and resources needed to make this work.
Let us pledge to continue to walk forward and take forward hand in hand, so no child in Jammu and Kashmir remains neglected. This is much more than a policy, it’s a movement towards making and developing an empowered literate and numerate society. We will do this together, and together we will create a better future for our children.
It’s a testimony of teamwork, dedication, and collective responsibility through which the FLN journey is successfully completed in Jammu and Kashmir. We are not mere teachers or parents; we are change agents in the shaping of the next generation’s future. Let’s take this forward journey with the same zest and will to move ahead in knowledge, believing that the seeds that we are planting today would bear fruits of a prosperous future for our children and our region.
(The author is a teacher and hails from Uri, Baramulla)
