Srinagar, Nov. 18 -- Low attendance in schools often looks like a simple case of missing students. A teacher marks the register, counts the empty seats, and moves on with the lesson. Online education platforms

The National Education Policy 2020 does not fix a specific attendance bar for students to sit in exams. It leaves the number open, and does something more important.

It asks schools and families to understand why a child stays home in the first place.

This shift matters for Kashmir, where thin attendance has shaped the lives of students for decades.School supplies

Notably, attendance across India falls short of what a healthy learning system needs. Studies show a worrying pattern.

In many rural districts, between 4.73 and 17...