The Jammu and Kashmir government has directed the heads of schools run by it to install signboards with the Tricolour in the background, appearing to set up a patriot test for educational institutions in the region.

The order issued last month by Gopal Sharma, joint director (planning) at the civil secretariat in the school education department, has designated a junior in his department as the nodal officer to monitor the progress of the initiative.

Along with the directive to install signboards, where the details of the schools are to be mentioned, the order seeks to establish a uniform colour scheme for all government school buildings. Progress reports have been sought from all districts on the implementation of the colour code.

“Deputy Director Planning, School Education Department, J&K, is designated as nodal officer to monitor adoption of colour shade of grey and white and installation of signboard of standard design in every J&K UT government school with the Tricolour of the national flag in the background,” the order says.

Sharma confirmed to The Telegraph that such an order has been released and added that he was yet to receive progress reports from the districts.

Valley schools have no tradition of singing the national anthem or hoisting the Tricolour. Jammu and Kashmir had its own constitution, flag and penal code, which were scrapped when its special status was cancelled in 2019. The flag was later removed from the civil secretariat offices in Srinagar and Jammu.

The central government had claimed these measures had been undertaken for the full integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India. The fresh directive seems to be a part of that campaign.

There is a blanket ban on student activism in Kashmir to prevent pro-azadi sentiments from getting a vent.

Kashmir Private Schools Association chairman Ghulam Nabi Var said Jammu and Kashmir was perhaps the first region in the country to ask schools to use the Tricolour as a background for signboards. “I have not heard about any such initiative outside,” Var told this newspaper.

“There are already a lot of things happening, like the new education policy that is being implemented (by the Centre). Earlier the purpose of education was to teach students about how to think. Now they are taught what to think.”

Var said education should be “politics-neutral”.He said associations representing schools from different parts of the country had assembled this week in Punjab’s Ferozpur to discuss how “to save education”.

The Jammu and Kashmir government order has asked schools to give details of the “progress on this activity” on a weekly basis and a deadline of April 30 has been set for the completion of the tasks.

“Weekly progress on the said activity must reach the CEO (chief education office) by each Sunday without fail,” reads an official communication issued by a district CEO to the heads of schools.