DSEK orders book review in Kashmir schools to remove objectionable content
Synopsis
The DSEK has ordered every government and private school in Kashmir — plus coaching centres — to audit all books for objectionable content and submit compliance certificates by 13 July, with a consolidated Directorate report due by 19 July. The exercise mirrors a simultaneous University of Kashmir library audit, signalling a coordinated content review across the region's entire education system.
Key Takeaways
DSEK issued a circular on 9 July ordering a comprehensive book review across all government and recognised private schools and coaching centres in Kashmir .
Books must be screened for content violating religious sentiments, national interest, prevailing laws, or NEP-2020 age-appropriate guidelines.
Institutions must submit compliance certificates to their CEO/ZEO by 13 July ; the Directorate's consolidated report is due by 19 July .
The University of Kashmir has already begun a parallel audit of its central and departmental libraries.
Non-compliance may result in disciplinary action against defaulting officers under applicable rules.
The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) on Thursday, 9 July ordered a comprehensive review of all books in government and recognised private schools and coaching centres across Kashmir, directing institutions to identify and remove any material deemed objectionable. The move follows a parallel exercise already under way at the University of Kashmir, which has begun auditing books, magazines, journals, and research material across its central and departmental libraries.
Scope of the Review
Under the DSEK circular, all heads of institutions have been directed to screen books available in offices, classrooms, staff rooms, and school libraries — covering both recently acquired and older publications. The review extends to coaching centres operating under recognised private school frameworks, making it one of the broader content audits undertaken in the region's school education system.
The circular specifies that no book should contain content that violates religious sentiments, carries material inappropriate for students, contravenes prevailing laws, harms national interest, or undermines educational values. All material must additionally conform to the age-appropriate guidelines of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Reporting Timeline and Process
Institutions have been given a tight deadline. Heads of schools and coaching centres must submit a compliance report or certificate to their respective Chief Education Officer (CEO) or Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) by 13 July. Where objectionable content is found, the report must include the title of the book, year of publication, author and publisher names, and the number of copies.
Zonal Education Officers are required to consolidate reports from their jurisdiction and submit them to the concerned CEO by 15 July. Chief Education Officers of the Kashmir Division must then forward all certificates and reports to the Directorate by 17 July. A designated committee — comprising the Joint Director (Central/North/South), Additional Secretary (Law), and OSD (CEW) of DSEK — will compile a consolidated report for the Directorate by 19 July.
Accountability Measures
CEOs have been instructed to personally monitor the process and countersign all certificates before submission. The DSEK has warned that any lapse in compliance will be treated seriously and may invite disciplinary action against defaulting officers under applicable rules. The compliance certificate must explicitly state that all books have been thoroughly reviewed, that no objectionable material is present to the best of institutional knowledge, and that library holdings conform to NEP-2020 guidelines and relevant laws.
University of Kashmir's Parallel Audit
The school-level review runs alongside an ongoing audit at the University of Kashmir, where authorities have already begun examining books, magazines, journals, research material, and other articles in the central library and all departmental libraries. This suggests a coordinated, institution-wide effort to standardise content norms across educational levels in the Kashmir Division.
Broader Context
This comes amid heightened scrutiny of educational content across several Indian states, with authorities citing NEP-2020 compliance and national interest as primary benchmarks. Critics, however, argue that such reviews — particularly when conducted under tight administrative timelines — risk prioritising procedural compliance over thorough, expert-led literary assessment. The exercise will be closely watched to see whether flagged material leads to formal withdrawals or remains at the reporting stage.
Point of View
Staffroom, and library across Kashmir's schools is administratively ambitious to the point of being unrealistic. Rushed reviews of this scale typically produce checkbox compliance rather than genuine content assessment — institutions will tick the form, not read the shelf. More significantly, the criteria for 'objectionable' remain broad and subjective: content that 'harms national interest' or 'violates religious sentiments' is a standard that can be applied expansively. Without an independent expert panel to adjudicate flagged titles, the exercise risks becoming a tool of administrative pressure rather than a principled curriculum safeguard. The parallel University of Kashmir audit suggests this is policy direction from above, not an isolated DSEK initiative — and that raises questions about who is setting the criteria and whether affected institutions have any avenue for appeal.
NationPress
9 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What has DSEK ordered in Kashmir schools?
The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has ordered a comprehensive review of all books in government and recognised private schools and coaching centres to identify and remove content deemed objectionable. The circular covers books in classrooms, offices, staff rooms, and school libraries, including older publications.
What counts as objectionable content under the DSEK circular?
The circular identifies content that violates religious sentiments, is inappropriate for students, contravenes prevailing laws, harms national interest, or undermines educational values as objectionable. All material must also align with the age-appropriate guidelines of the National Education Policy 2020.
What is the deadline for schools to comply?
Heads of institutions must submit compliance certificates to their CEO or ZEO by 13 July. Zonal Education Officers must consolidate and submit reports by 15 July, CEOs by 17 July, and the designated DSEK committee must deliver a final consolidated report to the Directorate by 19 July.
What happens if objectionable content is found?
If objectionable material is identified, the head of the institution must prepare a detailed report listing the book title, year of publication, author, publisher, and number of copies, and submit it alongside the compliance certificate by 13 July. The DSEK has warned of disciplinary action against officers who fail to comply.
Is the University of Kashmir conducting a similar review?
Yes. The University of Kashmir has already begun auditing books, magazines, journals, research material, and other articles in its central library and all departmental libraries to ensure no objectionable content is present, running parallel to the school-level exercise ordered by DSEK.
