Srinagar, Jul 9: Days after two books procured for government school libraries were found to contain content glorifying separatists, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has ordered a comprehensive review of all books available in government and recognised private schools, as well as coaching centres, across the Valley.
In a circular issued on July 6, the Directorate directed all Heads of Institutions (HOIs) to undertake a thorough screening of books available in classrooms, offices, staff rooms and school libraries to ensure that no publication contains “inappropriate or objectionable content.”
According to the circular, the screening exercise aims to identify any material that may violate religious sentiments, contain inappropriate content for students, content against prevailing laws with the potential to harm national interest, or adversely affect educational values and established norms. It also directs schools to ensure that all library material conforms to the objectives and vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The Directorate has instructed HOIs to prepare a detailed report in case any objectionable material is found, mentioning the title of the book, year of publication, author, publisher and the number of copies available. Schools have also been asked to submit a compliance certificate affirming that all books have been screened and that no objectionable material remains on their premises.
The circular stipulates that where objectionable content is identified, schools must submit an abstract of the material along with a report to the concerned Zonal Education Officer within seven days. ZEOs have been tasked with scrutinising the reports and forwarding consolidated reports to Chief Education Officers, who in turn will submit them to the Directorate within the prescribed timeline.
Further, the Directorate has directed Chief Education Officers to personally monitor the certification process, while a committee comprising senior DSEK officials has been constituted to collect reports from districts and submit a consolidated report. The circular warns that any lapse in complying with the directions will invite disciplinary action against the defaulting officers.
The move comes days after the detection of two books that were part of the library procurement process and were found to contain material portraying separatist narratives in a favourable light. J&K government later withdrew these two books and suspended eight officials from the school department, terminated the contractual employee, after the row broke out.
