J&K School Education Department Denies Reports on Sanskrit Inclusion
Sakib
SRINAGAR, JULY 19: The School Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir has refuted recent media reports claiming that Sanskrit will be introduced in schools as a mandatory subject.
A local English daily on July 18, 2025, reported that the Union Education Ministry was planning to make Sanskrit compulsory for classes 6th to 10th and optional for classes 3rd to 5th in Kashmir. Terming the report as misleading, the department clarified in an official statement that it has not proposed, approved, or initiated any process to include Sanskrit in the school curriculum.
“The School Education Department has not received any communication or direction from the Ministry of Education, Government of India, regarding making Sanskrit mandatory or optional in schools,” the statement read.
It further explained that the Secretariat of the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor had received a representation from Shri Purshotam Lal Dube (NGO) seeking the inclusion of Sanskrit under NEP 2020 provisions. This representation was forwarded to the School and Higher Education departments for comments, and subsequently sent to Director School Education Jammu and Kashmir, who then sought inputs from subordinate offices.
The department reiterated that this internal communication process does not amount to any decision or approval for introducing Sanskrit as a subject. It assured that any curriculum change is made transparently and only after extensive consultation, as per NEP 2020 guidelines.
The department urged the public and media to verify information from official sources before circulating unverified or baseless news items. It emphasised that any future decisions regarding curriculum changes will be communicated formally through proper channels after due deliberation.
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