Srinagar, July 8 -- This summer in Kashmir has been punishing. The sun beats down without mercy, and the valley finds itself under a sky that offers no relief.

For days on end, the temperature has hovered near all-time highs, the kind of heat we've never seen in over a hundred years. While adults retreat indoors or adjust their routines, our school-going children are being packed into metal-roofed classrooms and school buses with broken fans. They're expected to learn in what can only be described as dangerous conditions.

This isn't an exaggeration. Classrooms in many schools, especially government ones, are built without even the most basic climate considerations.

Tin roofs trap the heat, turning classrooms into ovens. Ventilation is ...