Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government has informed the Assembly that over 80 percent of lecturer positions approved for teaching Kashmiri in schools across the Valley remain vacant, despite the subject being introduced years ago in government institutions.
In a written response to a query from Srinagar MLA Mubarak Gul, the School Education Department stated that out of 27 sanctioned lecturer posts for Kashmiri in higher secondary schools in the Kashmir division, only five are currently filled. The remaining 22 posts are vacant across nine districts.
According to district-wise data, all five approved posts in Kupwara are unoccupied. Baramulla, Ganderbal, and Pulwama each have two vacant positions. In Anantnag and Budgam, three out of four sanctioned posts are vacant in each district. Bandipora and Kulgam have two vacancies each, while Shopian has one unfilled post.
The government also clarified that Kashmiri is not currently offered as a subject in schools in the Jammu division.
Kashmiri was first introduced in primary and middle government schools in the early 2000s and later extended to Classes 9 and 10 starting from the 2018–19 academic session. It was already being taught at the higher secondary level before that. In recent years, several private schools in the Valley have also begun offering the subject.
Although the number of sanctioned lecturer posts increased from 11 before 2009 to 27 in 2019, recruitment has lagged behind the expansion.
The vacancies continue despite the enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, which recognised Kashmiri as one of the official languages of the Union Territory.
While Kashmiri is widely spoken in the Valley, experts note that relatively fewer people are proficient in reading and writing it. Urdu and English remain the dominant languages of instruction and communication, especially among urban and middle-class communities.
Addressing concerns about implementation, the government said it is taking steps to strengthen Kashmiri teaching in accordance with the National Education Policy 2020. The rollout is being overseen by Chief Education Officers under the supervision of the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir, to ensure structured implementation in schools.
