The Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered a blanket screening of all books and study materials in government schools, recognised private institutions, and coaching centres across the Kashmir division to weed out content that could hurt religious sentiments or national interest.
The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK), in a circular issued on Thursday directed all Heads of Institutions to conduct a thorough review of books available in offices, classrooms, staffrooms and libraries – both recent acquisitions and older publications.
“The purpose of this screening is to ensure that no book contains inappropriate or objectionable content. This includes material that may violate religious sentiments of any section, content inappropriate for students, material against prevailing laws with potential to harm national interest, and content affecting educational values and established norms,” the circular stated.
The directive also mandates that all books strictly adhere to the age-appropriate guidelines laid down under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Heads of institutions have been asked to submit a detailed report if any book is found to contain objectionable material, along with details of its title, year of publication, author, publisher and the number of copies available.
A compliance certificate has to be furnished to the concerned Chief Education Officer (CEO) or Zonal Education Officer (ZEO), certifying that all books have been screened and no objectionable content exists on the premises to the best of their knowledge.
A strict timeline has been prescribed for the exercise. Reports on objectionable content must be submitted to the concerned CEO or ZEO within seven days from the date of issuance of the circular, i.e., by July 13, 2026.
Zonal Education Officers have been tasked with scrutinising and consolidating reports from schools and coaching centres under their jurisdiction and submitting a consolidated report to the concerned CEO by July 15. The Chief Education Officers, in turn, will forward the certificates and reports to the DSEK office by July 17.
A committee comprising the Joint Director (Central/North/South), Additional Secretary (Law) and OSD (CEW) of DSEK will collect district-level certification reports and submit a final consolidated report to the Director by July 19.
The administration has made it clear that any lapse in compliance will be viewed seriously and would invite disciplinary action against the defaulting officers. (KNS)
