Srinagar, July 9 -- In staffrooms across Jammu and Kashmir, the divide doesn't begin with disagreement over pedagogy or curriculum. It begins with a label.

"Direct Recruit," "SSRB Appointee," "ReT," "Grade II," "Third Teacher".

These titles were once administrative in nature, but they've now become badges of rank in a system where all teachers are supposed to serve the same purpose: to educate.

These designations were never meant to measure talent. But over time, they've become a shorthand for judgment.

A teacher hired through a particular exam is seen as more competent than one recruited through a government scheme, even if both stand before the same blackboard, teach the same syllabus, and bring the same qualifications.

In the corr...