SRINAGAR: The Union Government has told the Lok Sabha that Jammu and Kashmir is receiving full central support to implement the National Education Policy’s major school reforms, including three years of pre-primary education and the mandatory use of the mother tongue or local language as the medium of instruction up to Class 5. The information was shared in a statement laid by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in response to Question on December 8.
The ministry said Jammu and Kashmir, along with other States and Union Territories, has been integrated into the new 5+3+3+4 curricular structure through the NIPUN Bharat Mission, which aims to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Class 2. Officials reported that the region has been receiving financial and academic support for pre-school education, teaching–learning materials, teacher training, classroom assessments and district-level project management units. The Government said Jammu and Kashmir is implementing all components of the NIPUN Bharat Mission, including the three-year Balvatika stage that precedes Class 1.
The statement notes that the Vidya Pravesh school-preparation module, designed to help children transition smoothly from Anganwadi centres and home-based early learning to Class 1, has already covered more than a lakh children in Jammu and Kashmir every year. According to the ministry, 1,34,249 children benefited from the module in 2022–23, followed by 1,30,640 in 2023–24 and 1,19,160 in the current financial year. The Government said this shows that early-grade reforms have taken root across semi-urban, rural and hilly zones of the Union Territory.
In a move seen as important for remote and high-altitude regions, the Centre has also emphasised the co-location of Anganwadi centres with schools having Class 1. The Education Ministry and the Ministry of Women and Child Development jointly released national guidelines for co-located Anganwadis in September this year, with officials saying the model improves access to early childhood care and smoothens the shift from pre-school to primary classes. Jammu and Kashmir has been included in this effort, which is expected to reduce the gaps children often face when moving between early childhood and primary schooling in mountainous and far-flung areas.
Responding to concerns about language policy, the minister told the House that the NEP’s guidance on using the mother tongue, home language or a familiar regional language as the medium of instruction until Class 5 will apply across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir. He said States and Union Territories retain autonomy under the three-language formula but the policy encourages students to learn at least two Indian languages. The ministry said that textbooks, primers and teaching resources have been developed in 22 scheduled languages and 121 local languages, and these materials are available to all States and Union Territories through the NCERT and DIKSHA platforms. CBSE, which has a large presence in Jammu and Kashmir, has also directed schools to use the child’s home language or a familiar regional language at the foundational and preparatory stages.
The Government added that measures to promote multilingual learning, including story-based learning kits, digital “Jaadui Pitara” resources and the Bhasha Sangam initiative, are aimed at helping children in diverse linguistic regions, such as Jammu and Kashmir, retain their mother tongue while acquiring proficiency in additional languages at the middle and secondary levels.
The minister also confirmed that CBSE has finalised the mechanism for conducting Class 10 board examinations twice a year beginning in 2026. The stated purpose, he said, is to reduce high-stakes pressure, provide students with more than one attempt and shift assessment towards competency-based learning. These reforms, he noted, apply uniformly to all CBSE-affiliated schools, including those in Jammu and Kashmir, where students often face additional academic stress due to prolonged winters, disrupted academic calendars and accessibility challenges in hill districts.
The Government has said that the combined measures—mother-tongue based teaching, strengthened pre-primary education, multilingual learning ecosystems and reduced exam stress—are intended to create a more equitable and flexible schooling environment in regions like Jammu and Kashmir, particularly where geography, language diversity and access continue to shape educational outcomes.
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