TAQWA SHAFI
SRINAGAR, Feb 25: Days after being conferred the 2026 GEMS Global Teacher Prize, noted educationist and social reformer Rouble Nagi has announced an expansive education and digital inclusion campaign targeting some of the most remote and border villages of Jammu and Kashmir. The announcement came upon her return to the Valley, where she unveiled a structured plan to strengthen learning infrastructure and technological access in underserved regions.
The initiatives will be implemented through the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF), which has been active in the Kashmir Valley for over two decades. This latest intervention will focus primarily on villages situated along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district, including Amrui and Jabri, areas that have historically struggled with limited access to quality educational resources due to geographical isolation and security-related constraints.
As part of the first phase, smart digital classrooms and computer centres will be established in Jabri, Amrui and Tithwal. The programme will cover several institutions in these areas, including the Tithwal Cultural Development Centre, where stitching classes are conducted for girls, Girls Madarsa Gummal, Boys Madarsa Tangdhar, the Madarsa at Amrui and the Army Goodwill School in Tithwal. These institutions will be equipped with modern digital infrastructure designed to integrate technology into everyday classroom learning rather than treating it as a peripheral activity.
The foundation has also extended its outreach to central Kashmir, with plans to set up additional digital education and computer centres in Narbal and Bandgam near Soibugh in Budgam district. By expanding into these rural pockets, RNAF aims to bridge the technological divide that continues to separate students in urban centres from their counterparts in remote villages.
According to the foundation, the digital classrooms will incorporate artificial intelligence as a guided learning tool under the supervision of trained teachers. The AI-enabled modules are intended to make subjects such as mathematics and languages more accessible through visual explanations and interactive exercises, thereby improving comprehension and retention. The approach seeks to encourage creativity, build confidence and introduce early career awareness among students who often have little exposure to evolving educational and professional pathways.
“The objective is exposure, dignity of opportunity and future readiness,” Nagi said, emphasising that children living in border areas must not be excluded from the benefits of technological progress. She reiterated that quality education and digital literacy are essential tools for empowerment in an increasingly competitive world.
Beyond classroom digitisation, the foundation has identified broader areas of intervention aimed at community upliftment. These include strengthening school infrastructure, expanding digital learning hubs across rural belts and promoting inclusive policies that ensure marginalised communities gain equitable access to quality education. Women’s economic empowerment through skill development initiatives will also remain central to the foundation’s long-term engagement in the region.
Nagi dedicated her Global Teacher Prize to children living in India’s villages and urban slums, underscoring her belief that education must be treated as a right rather than a privilege. She noted that the international recognition has reinforced her commitment to building an inclusive and empowered India aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Having worked in the Kashmir Valley for more than twenty years, RNAF’s renewed push in border and rural districts marks a significant step toward addressing educational disparities in conflict-affected and geographically isolated communities. Observers say the initiative signals a sustained effort to ensure that children in Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier regions are not left behind in the digital age.
