Three subjects. Zero subject expertise. This isn’t a headline from a Bollywood drama; it’s what’s happening in real government schools across Jammu & Kashmir. And it’s not the exception. It’s the norm. Imagine being a child in a classroom where your math teacher is also your science and English teacher; even though they studied history. And they’re not just teaching one class; they’re juggling 9 classes with just one other teacher. Why? Because teacher recruitment has been frozen or delayed for years. The system is running on fumes; and it’s our children who are paying the price. Worse? Teachers are being pulled out of classrooms for Census, SIR, and other non-teaching duties; duties that don’t require a B.Ed or a Ph.D. But do require someone to be in school. Meanwhile, thousands of qualified graduates; B.Eds, M.A.s, even PhDs; are sitting at home, waiting for a job that never comes. Here’s the real question: Do we value administrative paperwork more than our children’s education? The government must act; not with more committees, but with real, subject-specific hiring, and zero deployment of teachers for non-education work. Because when a teacher leaves the classroom, it’s not just one day they’re missed. It’s one day of learning lost, forever.