Srinagar, Feb 26: Days after receiving the 2026 GEMS Global Teacher Prize, educationist and social reformer Rouble Nagi has unveiled an ambitious campaign aimed at promoting education and digital inclusion in some of the most remote border villages of Jammu and Kashmir.
The initiative will be carried out through the Rouble Nagi Art Foundation (RNAF) and seeks to upgrade learning infrastructure while expanding access to technology in underserved parts of the Valley. Announcing the plan after returning to Kashmir, Nagi outlined a structured roadmap to boost digital literacy and integrate modern tools into everyday classroom teaching.
The first phase will focus on villages along the Line of Control in Kupwara district, including Amrui, Jabri and Tithwal — areas that have long struggled with educational access due to geographic isolation and security challenges.
Under the programme, smart classrooms and computer centres will be set up at institutions such as the Tithwal Cultural Development Centre, 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 facilities to make technology a core part of classroom instruction rather than just an add-on resource.
According to RNAF, the digital classrooms will also introduce artificial intelligence as a guided learning tool under teacher supervision. AI-supported modules are expected to make subjects like mathematics and languages easier to grasp through visual explanations and interactive exercises, improving student understanding and retention.
Beyond border areas, the foundation plans to expand its outreach to central Kashmir by establishing digital learning and computer centres in Narbal and Bandgam near Soibugh in Budgam district. The goal is to reduce the technological gap between rural and urban students and ensure equal access to modern educational resources.
“The objective is exposure, dignity of opportunity and future readiness,” Nagi said, emphasising that children in border regions must not be left out of technological progress. She described quality education and digital literacy as key tools for empowerment in today’s competitive world.
In addition to classroom digitisation, RNAF has proposed broader initiatives to strengthen school infrastructure, expand rural digital learning hubs and promote inclusive education policies for marginalised communities. Women’s economic empowerment through skill development programmes will also remain a major focus of the foundation’s long-term work in the region.
Nagi dedicated her Global Teacher Prize to children in India’s villages and urban slums, reaffirming her belief that education is a right, not a privilege. She said the recognition has reinforced her commitment to building an inclusive and empowered India in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Having worked in the Kashmir Valley for over two decades, RNAF’s renewed focus on border and rural districts is being viewed as a significant step toward addressing educational gaps in conflict-affected and geographically isolated communities. Observers say the initiative represents a sustained effort to ensure children in Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier regions are not left behind in the digital era. (Agency)
