Govt initiative to introduce Kashmiri language at higher secondary level falls flat

The government initiative to make Kashmiri compulsory at senior secondary level has fallen flat. The subject is taught only in 40 out of 366 higher secondary schools of the school education department in Kashmir because there are not enough lecturers.

The subject was taught only in 30 higher secondary schools, but this year the government upgraded some high schools to senior secondary school level and appointed 10 Kashmiri lecturers in the upgraded schools, an official said.

   

He, however, said the department doesn’t have the permanent faculty in higher secondary schools to teach Kashmiri subject and hires the faculty on contract basis in some of the schools.

Last year, the J&K government had issued an order making Kashmiri, Dogri and Bodhi as compulsory sixth subject in J&K at the secondary school level.

As per the order, the language subject was supposed to be taught as compulsory sixth subject in areas where the language is spoken as mother tongue.

In wake of the government order, the directorate of school education Kashmir (DSEK) had submitted a proposal to the administrative department for creation of around 200 posts of lecturers for Kashmiri subject. The proposal has not been approved yet.

Meanwhile, the students who are pursuing masters in Kashmiri and those who have already graduated from Kashmir University held a peaceful protest at Press Enclave here and lashed out at the government for its failure to promote the subject at the 10+2 level.

 “The department is making claims of promoting regional languages but on ground these languages don’t exist anywhere,” said Qifayat, a student from Kashmir University (KU) pursuing post graduation in Kashmiri subject.

Every year, around 72 students graduate from KU’s Kashmiri department but find no jobs.

Director school education Kashmir GN Itoo didn’t respond to calls from this newspaper.

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