J&K government takes over 58 Jamaat-e-Islami-linked schools

The Jammu & Kashmir government assumed control on Saturday of 58 private schools run by the Falah-e-Aam Trust (FAT), an education body affiliated with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). An official confirmed the takeover of these FAT-affiliated institutions, with sources indicating most are located in north Kashmir. Specific school names have not been disclosed.

This action follows a contentious decision eight months ago that highlighted tensions between J&K's elected government and the Lieutenant Governor's administration. In August last year, the school education department secretary directed deputy commissioners to seize management of over 200 Valley schools linked to the proscribed JeI. Education Minister Sakeena Itoo later accused bureaucrats of altering the order without her consent; she insisted the government's intent was to place the schools under principals of nearby state institutions in students' best interests.

JeI was designated an unlawful association by the Centre in 2019. Two years later, in 2022, the LG administration prohibited FAT—a JeI-founded trust established in 1972 and previously government-recognised—from operating schools, ordering their sealing by deputy commissioners. FAT's constitution described it as a non-political entity focused on education and public service (Article 4), with objectives including non-discriminatory schooling (Article 3).

The 2022 prohibition invoked a 1990 order by Governor Jagmohan, which had earlier banned FAT and led to the absorption of thousands of its teachers into the state education department. At its peak, the trust managed about 350 middle and high schools across the erstwhile state—300 in the Valley and 50 in Jammu—most of which were transferred to local committees post-ban.