Srinagar, Jan. 2 -- In a historical first, the school education board in Jammu and Kashmir (JKBOSE) has launched first-ever textbooks in Shina language, a Dardic language spoken by a small population in the valley. The textbooks, as a start, have been printed for primary classes 1st and 2nd, aimed to trigger a movement to preserve the language, whose speakers are diminishing. "In a landmark move to promote and preserve regional languages, the JKBOSE has announced the maiden publication of textbooks for the Shina language. The initiative aligns seamlessly with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCFFS) 2022," an official of the government said. NEP and NCFFS advocate for mother-tongue-based, multilingual and culturally responsive education at the foundational level. In Kashmir, the majority speaks Kashmiri, which is also Dardic, followed by some percentage of Pahari and Gojri speakers, while Shina is spoken by a miniscule percentage of population mostly in Gurez valley of Bandipora on Line of Control and Drass in Ladakh. The language is dominant in Gilgit Baltistan areas under Pakistan control. The two textbooks have already been printed and distributed, ensuring timely availability from the beginning of this academic year which starts from November-December. "The introduction of the Shina textbooks marks a milestone in JKBOSE's sustained efforts to mainstream indigenous languages in school education," the official said. In his 2013 UGC sponsored research project to document Shina script and grammar, prof Musavir Ahmad, head of department of linguistics, University of Kashmir, who has also reviewed the JKBOSE textbooks, describes about the migration of community members from Gurez to other areas of district Bandipora and Srinagar calling for an urgent need to give more attention to the preservation and development of the language. "The population of Gurez, as per the 2001 census of India was 30,144, out of which approximately some 25,000 will be native Shina speakers. The remaining are native Kashmiri speakers. The total number of Shina speakers in J&K as per the same census is 34,390," he quotes in the paper. Officials said that the JKBOSE textbooks follow a play-based, activity-oriented and child-centric pedagogy. The age-appropriate content focuses on developing listening, speaking, early reading, and writing skills, in keeping with the vision of joyful and meaningful learning rooted in local culture....