**Executive Summary**
The document is an answer to Unstarred Question No. 67 raised in the Lok Sabha by Dr. Sharmila Sarkar, answered on December 1, 2025. It addresses the status of regional languages in Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). Annexures I, II, and III provide further details, including the number of KVs and JNVs by state/UT and the specific regional languages taught in these schools.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **School Statistics:**
* Annexure I provides State/UT-wise details of the number of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) sanctioned across the country.
* As of December 1, 2025, there are a total of 1405 KVs and 689 JNVs across India.
* **Regional Language Inclusion:**
* Local/regional languages are compulsory subjects in all Navodaya Vidyalayas from Class VI to IX.
* Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan's (KVS) Education Code includes provisions for teaching regional languages if at least 15 students opt for it. Part-time contractual teachers are appointed for this purpose.
* KVs have been directed to engage local/regional language teachers on a need-based contractual basis to support students, especially those struggling with Hindi or English at the foundational and preparatory stages.
* **Languages Taught:**
* Annexure II lists the regional languages taught in KVs and the number of KVs offering each language.
* Annexure III lists the regional languages taught in JNVs and the number of JNVs offering each language.
* 226 KVs are offering regional languages
* 665 JNVs are offering regional languages
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Central Government Employees**
* **Impact:** Kendriya Vidyalayas primarily cater to the educational needs of the wards of transferable Central Government Employees (including Defence & Para-military personnel, Central Autonomous Bodies, Central Public Sector Undertakings, and Central Institute of Higher Learning).
* **Action Required:** None explicitly stated, but it implies that these employees can expect continued access to education in KVs for their children.
**Stakeholder: Students in KVs and JNVs**
* **Impact:** Students in JNVs receive mandatory regional language instruction in classes VI-IX. Students in KVs may have the opportunity to learn regional languages, depending on student interest and the availability of teachers. KVs are focusing on engagement of local teachers for students struggling in the foundational stages.
* **Action Required:** Students in KVs, especially those facing language barriers, should communicate their interest in learning regional languages. Students in JNVs will be expected to engage with the regional language curriculum.
**Stakeholder: Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti**
* **Impact:** KVS must facilitate regional language instruction based on student demand and BoG guidelines. The Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti must continue providing compulsory regional language instruction in JNVs.
* **Action Required:** KVS must implement Board of Governors directives regarding regional language teachers. Both organizations need to refer to Annexures II and III to understand the current landscape of language offerings in their respective institutions.
**Stakeholder: State of Tamil Nadu**
* **Impact:** The state of Tamil Nadu has not yet accepted the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme.
* **Action Required:** The State of Tamil Nadu needs to consider the details of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme and whether to accept it.
Key Entities Referenced
Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs): A system of central government schools in India
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs): A system of central government schools in India, specifically for rural talented children.
Ministry of Education: The primary entity responsible for the policy; concerned with education in India.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the unstarred question originated.
Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti: An autonomous organization under the Ministry of Education responsible for administering Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 67
ANSWERED ON 01.12.2025
Regional Languages in KVs and JNVs
67. Dr. Sharmila Sarkar:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the total number of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalayas (JNVs) in the country, State/UT-wise;
(b) whether the inclusion of local languages as a compulsory subject is being
considered for all KVs and JNVs across the country, if so, the timeline fixed for
the same; and
(c) the details of the local languages being taught in KVs and JNVs currently,
including the number of schools offering each language?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) State/UT-wise details of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalayas (JNVs) sanctioned across the country are at Annexure I.
(b) Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti: The local/regional language is included as a
compulsory subject in all Navodaya Vidyalayas from class VI to IX.
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan: Kendriya Vidyalayas are primarily opened to cater to
the educational needs of the wards of transferable Central Government Employees
including Defence & Para-military personnel, Central Autonomous Bodies, Central
Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs) and Central Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) by
providing a common programme of education throughout the country. KVs follow a
uniform, centralized curriculum based on the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) across the country.Further, Article 112 of the Education Code of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)
has provisions for teaching regional languages which provides for additional
arrangement for teaching of the regional language/ mother tongue, provided 15 or
more students are willing to opt for the same. For this, part-time contractual teachers
are appointed.
Additionally, as approved by Board of Governors (BoG) of KVS, all KVs have been
directed to engage local/regional language teachers on contractual basis on a need-
based requirement to support children at the Foundational and Preparatory stages,
especially when they face difficulties in understanding concepts taught in Hindi or
English.
(c) The details of the local languages being taught in KVs and JNVs including the
number of schools offering these languages are at Annexures II and III respectively.
*****Annexure I
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED
QUESTION NO. 67 RAISED BY DR. SHARMILA SARKAR, HON’BLE MEMBER OF
PARLIAMENT ANSWERED ON 01.12.2025 REGARDING “Regional Languages in KVs
and JNVs.”
State/UT-wise details of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya
Vidyalayas (JNVs) sanctioned across the country
S. No. Name of State/ UT Number of KVs Number of JNVs
1 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 02 03
2 Andhra Pradesh 48 15
3 Arunachal Pradesh 21 26
4 Assam 59 34
5 Bihar 72 39
6 Chandigarh 05 01
7 Chhattisgarh 41 28
8 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 02 03
9 Delhi 47 09
10 Goa 05 02
11 Gujarat 50 34
12 Haryana 36 21
13 Himachal Pradesh 32 12
14 Jammu & Kashmir 51 21
15 Jharkhand 45 26
16 Karnataka 56 32
17 Kerala 40 14
18 Lakshadweep 01 01
19 Ladakh 03 02
20 Madhya Pradesh 127 54
21 Maharashtra 63 35
22 Manipur 09 14
23 Meghalaya 07 12
24 Mizoram 04 08
25 Nagaland 05 11
26 Odisha 82 31
27 Puducherry 04 04
28 Punjab 52 23
29 Rajasthan 88 35
30 Sikkim 02 04
31 Tamil Nadu 49 --*
32 Telangana 39 16
33 Tripura 12 08
34 Uttar Pradesh 134 76
35 Uttarakhand 50 13
36 West Bengal 62 22
TOTAL 1405 689
*The State of Tamil Nadu (38 Districts) has not yet accepted the Navodaya Vidyalaya Scheme.
*****Annexure-II
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF THE LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 67 RAISED BY DR. SHARMILA SARKAR, HON’BLE
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT ANSWERED ON 01.12.2025 REGARDING “Regional
Languages in KVs and JNVs.”
The details of the local languages being taught in KVs and number of schools
offering these languages
Name of the Regional
S.N.
No. of KVs
Language(s) taught
01 Gujarati 04
02 Kannada 48
03 Punjabi 55
04 Tamil 36
05 Malayalam 42
06 Assamese 26
07 Bodo 2
08 Marathi 8
09 Bengali 3
10 Manipuri 2
Total 226
*****ANNEXURE – III
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF THE LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 67 RAISED BY DR. SHARMILA SARKAR, HON’BLE
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT ANSWERED ON 01.12.2025 REGARDING “Regional
Languages in KVs and JNVs.”
The details of the local languages being taught in JNVs and number of schools
offering these languages
Sr. No. Language being taught No. of JNVs
1 Assamese 51
2 Bangla 28
3 Bodo 4
4 Garo 5
5 Gujarati 37
6 Hindi 318
7 Kannada 31
8 Khasi 7
9 Malayalam 16
10 Manipuri 14
11 Marathi 36
12 Mizo 8
13 Nepali 5
14 Odia 31
15 Punjabi 24
16 Tamil 2
17 Telugu 31
18 Urdu 17
Total 665
*****