Govt for ‘nationalistic’ curriculum in J&K to counter ‘false narrative’ impacting youth

Chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the discussions on J&K primarily focused on education and connectivity among various development issues, officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir, Nationalistic education, Rajnath Singh, Kendriya Vidyalayas in Kashmir, Indian Express, Kashmir News

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh recently chaired a meeting on how to revitalise madrasa education and set up more KV schools in Jammu and Kashmir. (Express Photo/Praveen Jain)

The Centre is looking at a “nationalist curriculum” in J&K schools to drive development and counter what it believes is a “false narrative” that is impacting youth in the state, a senior official told The Indian Express. Apart from the curriculum, a review meeting by the central government last week also discussed ways to “revitalise” madrasa education and set up more Navodaya institutions and Kendriya Vidyalayas in the state.

Chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the discussions on J&K primarily focused on education and connectivity among various development issues, officials said. The review, in which issues related to Left Wing Extremism (LWE) were also discussed, included Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha and Environment Minister Harshvardhan.

“We have suggested that the HRD ministry can strengthen Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and other CBSE-affiliated schools in the Valley and introduce a nationalistic curriculum to counter the false narrative,” said the official. In October, the Centre appointed former Intelligence Bureau chief Dineshwar Sharma as its special representative for sustained dialogue in the Valley. “While the talks are on, a need was felt to give fresh impetus to key development issues by the Centre. This was the first review undertaken on development issues,” the official said.

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At the review, the HRD Ministry’s flagship Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) was taken up. “It was suggested that there is a need to revitalise the programme,” said the official. Under SPQEM, the capacities of madrasas are strengthened so that subjects such as science, mathematics, languages and social studies are taught after enhancing the honorarium for teachers, said officials.

They said that SPQEM encourages the linkage of madrasas with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) as accredited centres for providing formal education, which will enable students to get certifications for Classes V, VIII, X and XII. According to officials, J&K has nearly 240 functioning madrasas.

The review also discussed ways to improve J&K’s education infrastructure by opening more hostels for girls, upgrading schools under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and extending the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, officials said.

A report compiled by intelligence agencies in 2016 had cited “radicalisation” among students as one of the reasons for the unrest in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July that year. According to official estimates, at least 90 youths, the highest over the last six years, joined the Hizbul Mujahideen after Wani’s death.

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