Once a must-have learning tool for students, Mashiq a traditional carved wooden slate that was used to improve handwriting, has almost faded into oblivion. However, a school in central Kashmir’s Budgam district has made it mandatory for their students, which has shown good results.
Gund-I-Khallel village at Narbal tehsil in central Kashmir’s Budgam district is one such place in the Kashmir Valley where Mashiq (slate) is still used in a government primary school.
Nissar Ahmad, one of the teachers at the Government Primary School in Gund-i-Khallel Narbal, told the Rising Kashmir that in the 2004, when the school started functioning in the village, an inspection team from the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) in Beerwah visited the school.
“The visiting team suggested that we introduce this Mashiq writing tool in the school.”
The practice has shown good results, as handwriting of students has improved significantly, he added. “It has also saved money for many students who cannot afford to buy notebooks from the market.”
“Since the year 2004, this traditional writing tool has been continued by the students in our school, the IQ level at the primary education level has improved as well,” Ahmad said.
He said presently, the school has enrolled 62 students from nursery to the 5th standard, who are writing on the slate daily in their homes and bringing their slates to the school.
“Students who clear their 5th standard give their slates to the newly admitted students in the school, through which the newcomers also learn this mashiq writing skill from other students as well as teachers in the school,” Ahmad added.
He said after the COVID lockdown was imposed across the Kashmir valley for more than one year, schools mostly remained closed. After schools started functioning again, most of the students had either lost their schools or their slates had broken, he said.
“But the local carpenters and parents have built new slates. The local carpenters have also provided free-of-cost Mashiqs to the students, so this mashiq culture can be preserved and continued in the school,” he added.
Asmat Tariq, a fifth-grade student of the school, said that for the last six years she has been practicing writing on the Mashiq at home. “It helps me improve my focus as well as my writing skills.”
“The teachers are also providing raw materials to the students so that they can easily write on their slates,” she said.
A group of students from the school said that the teachers from the school provide great support to the students and show them how they can improve their knowledge and skills with the help of books and through this traditional writing tool.
Bilal Ahmad Gojri, parent of two school students, said handwriting of his wards has improved a lot due to writing on Mashiq.
He said “I am a labourer by profession; most of the time I cannot afford to buy notebooks for my kids. This tool has helped me to save money. It has also helped my children improve their writing skills.”
Another parent said he used to practice on this slate in his student days. “This traditional writing tool has its own importance and space in primary level education and should be continued in schools,” he added.
