The results of class 12th that were declared on Friday afternoon have displayed disappointing figures for the Kashmiri language lovers.
Urdu had the highest takers with 37252 students opting for it, 72 per cent of whom have passed.
As per the figures accessed by The Kashmiriyat, a total of 1,27,636 candidates had enrolled for the exams in which 82,441 successfully qualified.
The results show that 10,198 students chose Hindi, with a 72 percent pass rate.
Urdu remained the top choice with 37,252 students, 72 percent of whom passed.
In Dogri, 98 percent of 251 students passed, and Punjabi saw a 96 percent pass rate among 96 students.
Kashmiri, considered at the verge of extinction, had only 257 students choosing it, and all of them passed.
Experts say that the decline in the language’s usage at primary and secondary education levels is leading to the downfall of the language.
Despite efforts by institutions and literary organizations, concerns persist that English medium schools contribute significantly to the erosion of Kashmiri as students in these schools are often discouraged from speaking their mother tongue.
Writers argue that learning one’s mother tongue is crucial for understanding identity, emphasizing the need to encourage children to speak Kashmiri at home, alongside the importance of learning Urdu and English.
Literary organizations and writers believe that English medium schools in Kashmir are responsible to a great extent to eradicate Kashmiri language because children enrolled in most of the English medium schools are not allowed to speak in their mother tongue.
However, writers believe that learning a mother tongue can help better understand one’s own identity.
“It is seen in the society that our new generation either talk in Urdu or in English instead of speaking in their mother tongue, for which they are encouraged at every level”, said a famous Kashmiri writer.
They believe that the preservation of the Kashmiri language can be ensured only by talking to the children in their mother tongue at home, although learning other languages, especially Urdu and English, is also very important.