Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday notified a framework for the evaluation of books and academic material in educational institutions in the Union Territory.
The framework issued through circulars prescribes a structured institutional framework for the academic evaluation, content verification and periodic review of books and other academic resources across all schools, colleges and universities in the Union Territory, an official spokesman said.
“In view of recent concerns regarding books available in institutional libraries and the procurement of educational material, the School Education Department and Higher Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir have issued comprehensive circulars,” he said, adding that the action has been taken in pursuance of the directions of the government.
He said the framework is aimed at strengthening the institutional mechanisms governing the evaluation, recommendation, circulation, retention and periodic review of educational material.
The framework seeks to ensure that the academic resources available in educational institutions possess established academic merit, factual authenticity, pedagogical relevance and educational value, while remaining consistent with the Constitution of India, the laws in force, the National Education Policy (NEP), the applicable regulatory framework and the curricular standards prescribed by the competent authorities, the spokesperson said.
Under the framework, all government and recognised private schools and universities functioning under the administrative jurisdiction of the respective departments and public libraries have been directed to undertake a comprehensive academic and content audit of books, reference material, journals, research publications, dissertations, theses, digital repositories and other educational resources available in their libraries and academic units, irrespective of the year of procurement, adoption or inclusion.
The circulars provide that no publication or academic material containing factually inaccurate, misleading, distorted, inflammatory, unlawful or otherwise objectionable content, including material that directly or indirectly promotes, glorifies, legitimises or justifies terrorism, violent extremism, secessionism, radicalisation or any activity prejudicial to the sovereignty, unity, integrity and security of the nation, shall be procured, prescribed, recommended, retained, circulated, published, hosted or otherwise made available in educational institutions, he said.
The spokesman said that to ensure effective implementation, the government has institutionalised multi-tier academic and content scrutiny mechanisms across the school and higher education sectors.
These mechanisms provide for systematic academic evaluation, content verification, quality assurance, periodic review and institutional oversight through committees constituted at the institutional, district, directorate, university and administrative department levels while respecting the statutory and academic autonomy of universities within the framework of the applicable laws and University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations, he added.
The circulars also assign clearly defined responsibilities to the vice chancellors, principals of colleges, chief education officers, zonal education officers and heads of institutions, librarians, school managements and other academic authorities entrusted with the academic governance to ensure meticulous implementation of the prescribed framework within the stipulated timelines.
Institutional heads shall be responsible for ensuring compliance within their respective jurisdictions, and any omission, negligence or deviation from the prescribed procedures shall be viewed with utmost seriousness, the spokesman said.
The initiative is intended to reinforce the academic standards, strengthen institutional accountability, preserve the integrity of the educational ecosystem and establish a transparent, objective and uniform framework for the periodic academic and content review of educational resources across schools, colleges and universities in the Union Territory, the spokesman added.
