Sajid Raina
Bandipora, Jul 23: The Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Izmarg in Gurez grapples with a severe shortage of teaching staff—thus raising a question on the quality of education in the institute.
The GHSS Izmarg has 10 out of 11 sanctioned lecturer posts lying vacant.
According to the figures available, the subject-wise lecturer posts that have been remained unfilled includes Education (since 2024), Zoology and Botany (since 2023), Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (since 2023), History (since 2023), English and Political Science (since 2022), and Urdu (since 2015).
Locals lamented that the issue has been ignored for years. “With the persistent issue of teaching staff, the future of our kids is being compromised. How can you expect good results when key subjects like English and Science don’t even have teachers?” said Ghulam Qadir, a parent whose son is in Class 12.
Currently, out of the 11 sanctioned lecturer posts, only one is filled. The school also has four sanctioned Master-level posts, of which only three are occupied, and six Teacher posts, with just two in position.
Two of the vacant posts were reportedly created in early 2003, and one more vacancy has emerged as recently as May 2025 following a teacher’s departure.
“This is administrative apathy at its worst,” said Shakeela Bano, a local woman. “For over a decade, no Urdu lecturer has been appointed. It’s not just a vacancy; it’s a denial of our language, our culture.”
Parents say they are forced to send children to Bandipora or Sopore for coaching, incurring heavy costs.
“We’ve seen dozens of officers come and go, but our school remains neglected,” said Muhammad Yousuf, a retired teacher. “The government must wake up before we lose another generation.”
With board exams approaching in a few months, locals are demanding urgent intervention from the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) and the UT administration.
“This isn’t just a staffing issue; it’s about the future of Gurez,” said a student from Dawar. “We urge the authorities to immediately post qualified lecturers and teachers so we can study like students in the rest of the country.”
They have appealed to the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) and the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora to intervene in the matter.
