Govt to fill teacher vacancies, shift schools from rented buildings in phased manner: Sakina Itoo

Srinagar, Jun 11: Minister for Health and Medical Education and School Education, Sakina Itoo, Thursday said the government was working to strengthen public infrastructure by shifting schools operating from rented accommodations to permanent buildings besides taking steps to address long-pending staff shortages in the education sector.

Talking to reporters in Budgam on the sidelines of the inauguration of healthcare facilities, Sakina Itoo said the government’s focus was not merely on constructing buildings but on ensuring that institutions are adequately staffed and equipped to serve the public.
Referring to healthcare infrastructure, the health minister said several facilities across J&K have buildings but lack the manpower and equipment required for delivering services.

“We do not want a situation where we inaugurate a building and call it a trauma hospital while there is no treatment facility available there,” she said.
She added that hospitals require doctors, paramedical staff and modern equipment to function effectively.

“A dialysis unit has already been sanctioned, and necessary equipment is provided to the hospital which was inaugurated,” she added.
The minister said the government was committed to making healthcare services accessible at people’s doorsteps.
About the importance of trauma care facilities, particularly in border and highway areas, Sakina Itoo said the government intends to functionalise trauma hospitals announced by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the budget.
She added that emergency healthcare facilities must be backed by adequate staffing and infrastructure to ensure timely treatment of patients.
“Merely cutting ribbons will not serve any purpose if there are no doctors, staff and equipment available,” she said.
About the education sector, Sakina Itoo acknowledged the shortage of teachers and said recruitment has remained stalled for years due to a freeze on posts.

“No major recruitment had taken place in the School Education Department for several years and many posts remained frozen,” she said.
She said the government has now initiated the process of de-freezing posts and referring them to the recruitment agencies.
“The file has been moved so that the posts frozen by the department can be referred to the Services Selection Board. This will not only provide employment opportunities to youth but also strengthen the functioning of schools,” she said.

The minister said the government had already referred 724 lecturer posts for recruitment and a substantial number of selections had been cleared.
She defended the rationalisation exercise undertaken by the department saying it improved the deployment of teachers across schools.
She said nearly 2,500 schools were clubbed as part of the restructuring process aimed at addressing imbalances in staff availability.

“The present government inherited significant challenges in the education sector but has made noticeable progress over the past 15 months,” she said.
“We started from zero. I am not claiming that everything has been achieved, but there has been considerable improvement,” she added.
The minister further said the government has directed the detachment of teachers attached to offices and other institutions after assuming office, though exceptions were made in genuine humanitarian cases involving serious health issues.

She said the priority of the government was to ensure that schools have adequate teaching staff and schools function from proper infrastructure instead of rented accommodations.

“The government will shift schools from rented buildings to permanent infrastructure in phased manner,” she said.