When Class 10 results were declared this week across Jammu and Kashmir, attention followed a familiar path names at the top of merit lists, high percentages, and distinctions that often define academic success in public discourse. In North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, however, a result that did not feature in the top brackets has drawn quiet attention within local education circles.
Saqib, a student of Government High School Onagam, cleared the matriculation examination in third division. In numerical terms, the result places him far from the headlines that usually accompany board results. Yet for teachers who tracked his schooling over nearly a decade, the outcome marks the end of a long process shaped less by marks and more by continuity.
Saqib lost both his parents while studying in Class 4. Teachers at the school say the loss disrupted his schooling at a critical stage. Attendance became irregular, classroom engagement declined, and academic progress slowed. For a prolonged period, there was uncertainty about whether he would continue within the formal education system.
Former head of the institution Javaid Jawad, who was leading the school during those years, told Kashmir Magazine that the challenge was not academic underperformance alone but the risk of disengagement. “The concern was whether he would stay in school,” Jawad said. “Once that becomes uncertain, marks become secondary.”
From Class 4 onward, the school’s approach shifted from conventional academic targets to stabilising Saqib’s relationship with the institution.
According to Jawad, the immediate priority was to ensure regular attendance and a sense of belonging within the school environment.
“My focus was to make him feel that he was not alone,” Jawad said. “After losing his parents, he needed to know that there were people who would look after him within the school.”
Teachers recall that progress during the middle-school years was uneven. Saqib struggled with basic reading and writing skills even as he advanced through grades. Instead of accelerating syllabi or imposing strict benchmarks, the school focused on routine, ensuring he attended classes, participated in activities, and remained connected to school life.
Jawad said this approach required patience. “We did not treat learning as a race,” he said. “The idea was to keep him within the system. Everything else followed from that.”
Teachers involved him in school-related work beyond textbooks, including activities and exposure visits. The intention, Jawad said, was not to improve grades immediately but to build consistency and engagement.
“When there was an activity, I made sure he was part of it,” he said. “It was important for him to feel useful and included.”
Academic outcomes during this phase remained modest. Jawad acknowledged that Saqib did not perform well in examinations through much of middle school. However, the school viewed retention as the primary marker of progress.
“Obstacles were always present,” he said. “But we focused on ensuring that they did not lead to withdrawal.”
By the time Saqib entered secondary classes, teachers observed changes that were incremental rather than dramatic. Attendance improved, classroom presence became more regular, and engagement stabilised. While his scores did not place him among high achievers, the risk of dropping out had reduced.
The school continued to prioritise completion of schooling rather than competition. Teachers worked to ensure that Saqib remained examination-ready, focusing on basics and gradual preparation.
The Class 10 result, Jawad said, reflects a nearly seven-year process that relied on observation, adaptation, and institutional flexibility rather than fixed templates. “This was not about producing a topper,” he said. “It was about ensuring that a child who could have exited the system did not.”
For Jawad, the result carried personal significance. “It was also my son’s Class 12 result,” he said. “But I am happier for Saqib. This is his first step.”
Within the school, the outcome has prompted reflection on how success is measured.
Teachers say that while board results remain important, cases like Saqib’s underline the role of schools in retention and social stability, particularly for students facing early disruption.
Education officials said that such outcomes often remain undocumented because they do not align with conventional indicators. Yet, they argue, these trajectories are central to understanding the role of government schools in rural and semi-rural areas.
Saqib’s third-division result does not alter district-level statistics or merit charts. It does, however, mark the completion of schooling for a student whose continuation was once uncertain. For those who worked with him, that outcome stands as evidence that education systems are not only sites of academic assessment but also spaces where continuity itself can be an achievement.
