Srinagar, June 21 -- It was just another school monitoring visit. Or so I thought. At 11 in the morning, our team reached a hamlet called Shpora in the Narbal zone of Budgam district. We were there to check on a government primary school nestled under the calm shade of old walnut trees.

The school looked like any other, until we stepped inside.

One classroom, in particular, caught my eye. It was the pre-primary room. Sunlight poured through the windows. Kids under the age of five were scattered across the room, lost in their own magical world. They didn't seem to notice us at all. Some were tossing rubber balls at each other. Others were busy with activities. There was joy in the air.

I walked in and gently asked one of them to stand u...