Riyaz Bhat
Srinagar, Feb 17: Nearly 15,000 teaching posts are lying vacant in Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department—raising a question on functioning of the department and quality of teaching in government-run-schools.
The official figures available reveal that 14,943 teaching posts including 12,977 teacher and 1946 masters posts were lying vacant in Jammu and Kashmir.
It also said that at least 4992 teacher posts in Kashmir division and 7985 posts in Jammu division were lying.
The minister concerned revealed the figures in Legislative Assembly.
The house was however informed that “All the available and anticipated vacancies of teachers are being utilized for the transition of Teacher Grade-II and Grade-III.”
The government in the house also revealed that 1722 Master posts in Kashmir and 224 in Jammu division were lying vacant.
“All the promotional vacancies of masters are being filled through divisional level DPC in accordance with the rules,” the government informed Legislative Assembly.
Furthermore, the house was informed that 130 Principal posts, 1931 Lecture posts, 66 Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) post and 556 Headmaster posts were lying vacant in the department.
The education minister on a query whether the government intends to regularize services of Adhoc, or contractual academic arrangement lecturers who have rendered five years of uninterrupted service in schools said that “The School Education Department in the recent past had engaged Contractual Lecturer and Teachers on academic arrangement basis for the academic sessions.”
“But since 2019 no Contractual Lecturers or Teachers have been engaged by the department. However, to cope up the shortage of staff the department hired Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs) and Subject Specific Teachers under Samagra Shiksha Scheme, which is a centrally sponsored scheme having funding pattern of 90:10,” the government said.
