Education Dept denies proposal to introduce Sanskrit in J&K schools

The Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department on Saturday clarified that it has not proposed, approved or initiated any process to introduce Sanskrit as a mandatory or optional subject in schools across the Union Territory.

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The clarification came in response to reports claiming that Sanskrit was being introduced as a mandatory subject for classes 6 to 10 and an optional subject for classes 3 to 5 in the Kashmir division.

In an official statement, the department said, “The School Education Department of J&K has not received any communication or direction from the Ministry of Education, Government of India, regarding the mandatory or optional inclusion of Sanskrit in the school curriculum.”

The department explained that the Secretariat of the Lieutenant Governor had received a representation from Purshotam Lal Dube, an NGO representative, seeking the inclusion of Sanskrit in schools and colleges of the UT under the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“This representation was forwarded to the Higher Education and School Education Departments by the Secretariat. Accordingly, the School Education Department sent the communication to the Directors of School Education in Jammu/ Kashmir for their comments. The matter was further referred to the subordinate offices for feedback,” the statement said.

Reiterating its stand, the department said it has “not proposed, approved, or initiated any process for the inclusion of Sanskrit as a mandatory or optional subject in schools.”

The department further emphasised that all curriculum changes are carried out through a transparent and consultative process, in accordance with NEP 2020.

“Any future decision regarding the introduction of new subjects will be officially communicated through proper channels after thorough deliberation,” the statement concluded.