Srinagar, Sep 23: Kashmiri, according to government figures, is taught in 9857 schools to 7,78,811 students from classes 1st to 8th, but the language continues to face gaps in textbooks and specialist teachers, even as many parents prefer English for their children’s formal education.
At the secondary level, the language is taught in 1961 schools for classes 9th and 10th. These include 1169 government schools with 92,323 students and 792 private and other schools with 60,071 students.
The figures relate to Kashmiri being taught as a language subject and do not necessarily indicate that it is used as the medium of instruction for all subjects.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends that, wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least class 5th and preferably until class 8th and beyond should be the child’s home language, mother tongue, local language, or regional language. It also calls for high-quality textbooks and teaching material in home and regional languages.
In Kashmir, however, English remains the preferred language of formal education for many families.
“I want my daughter to receive her formal education in English,” said Waseem Ahmad, whose daughter studies in class 4th at a private school in Anantnag. “She has learnt to speak Urdu and Kashmiri at home, and we encourage her to continue using both languages.”
“Parents frequently ask us to use English as the medium of instruction because they see it as important for higher education and future employment,” said a senior representative of a public school in Anantnag.
Textbook Gap
Free Kashmiri-language textbooks are provided to government-school students in classes 1st and 2nd. Dedicated Kashmiri textbooks are not provided from classes 3rd to 8th, according to the education figures reviewed by Greater Kashmir.
The absence of textbooks beyond class 2nd leaves students and teachers without a consistent set of learning material during the middle-school years.
Teachers may consequently have to rely on classroom notes, supplementary material, or resources prepared independently.
NEP 2020 states that high-quality textbooks should be made available in home languages and that, where such material is unavailable, classroom interaction should continue in the child’s home language wherever possible.
The availability of age-appropriate textbooks is therefore important for students to develop their reading and writing skills beyond the foundational stage.
Lecturer Vacancies
Kashmiri education also faces a shortage of specialist lecturers at the higher-secondary level.
Of the 27 sanctioned posts of lecturers (Kashmiri), six are filled and 21 remain vacant.
This leaves approximately 77.8 percent of the sanctioned posts unfilled.
A confidential source familiar with the department’s staffing position told Greater Kashmir that, 434 general-line teachers and masters with postgraduate qualifications in Kashmiri had been identified as a potential pool for language instruction.
Their deployment could help address the shortage of specialist teachers, particularly in schools where dedicated Kashmiri lecturers are unavailable. The extent to which these teachers are currently teaching the language, however, would depend on their formal assignments and departmental instructions.
Fewer Senior-Secondary Examinees
The number of students appearing for Kashmiri examinations at the senior-secondary level is considerably lower than the enrolment recorded in the lower classes.
The figures for the March-April 2025 examinations reveal that 120 students appeared for Kashmiri in class 11th and 94 appeared in class 12th, taking the combined number of examinees to 214.
The figures do not establish a year-on-year decline, but they show a significant difference between the number of students studying Kashmiri in the lower classes and those continuing with it as an examination subject in higher secondary education.
The pattern may be linked to parental preference for English, limited availability of specialist teachers, the shortage of textbooks, and the perception that English and other subjects offer wider academic and employment opportunities.
For families such as Ahmad’s, English and local languages serve different purposes. English is preferred for formal education, while Urdu and Kashmiri remain part of home communication and cultural life.
Jammu and Kashmir’s inguistic diversity adds another layer to the issue. Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogri, Hindi, Pahari, Gojri, Balti, Punjabi, and Shina are spoken or taught in different parts of the region.
The implementation of mother-tongue education consequently depends on the availability of teachers, textbooks, and learning material suited to the language spoken by students in a particular area.
