Srinagar, April 24 -- Every time in Kashmir, as exam results are announced, a familiar ritual begins.

Local news channels run special bulletins. Social media fills up with grinning portraits of students holding their result sheets. There are hashtags, video interviews, and a steady stream of congratulatory posts from neighbors, friends and distant relatives. In a region where government jobs and competitive exams are seen as the surest path to stability, topping an exam isn't just a personal milestone, it's a public event.

And that's exactly the problem.

For every student who clears JEE, NEET, or the civil services, there are many more who don't. Some miss the cutoff by a few marks. Others struggle silently under pressure they never le...