Over 1600 lecturer, 480 headmaster posts lying vacant in SED

Srinagar, Jun 29: As many as 1600 positions of lecturers and 480 positions of headmasters in schools are lying in the School Education Department (SED). The delay in filling up the vacant positions in the schools is taking a toll on the academics and running daily affairs in the schools. Besides the vacant positions, the government-run schools across Jammu and Kashmir also lack the basic facilities for the school going children.

The schools are without playgrounds, libraries, ramps, computers and internet facilities. The issues came to fore during the last review meeting chaired by Education Minister Sakina Itoo. The vacant positions and lack of facilities in schools were reflected in a powerpoint presentation delivered by the officers of the SED before the education minister.

As per the official figures, only 44 percent government schools have facilities of playgrounds, depriving the majority of the school children from participating in the games and other extracurricular activities. The official figures reveal that only 50 percent of schools are equipped with the library facility, which keeps the students deprived from reading books and developing reading habits during the school hours.

Amid the government claims of providing all the facilities to the Children With Special Needs (CWSN), around 50 percent of schools are without ramps for these children. Amid the much hyped initiative of digital India and government claims of equipping schools with smart classrooms, around 55 percent government schools are without computers and 58 percent schools are without internet facilities. The education minister was apprised about the present status of the SED while chairing a meeting on June 25 of this year. During the meeting it was stated that the department will fill around 1600 vacant posts of lecturers in OPG mode by July 15, 2025 for major subjects and left out positions will be filled by July 31.

Due to the rapid retirements of headmasters, as many as 480 positions of headmasters are vacant in the department. The accumulation of the vacant positions exposes the delay by the department in holding regular Departmental Promotion Committee (PDC) meetings in order to promote officials to their next grade to avoid vacancies in the department. During the meeting it has been stated that the placement of in-charge headmasters will be completed by July 31, 2025.

As of now, SED has around 1220 in-charge headmasters posted in different schools. “In Kashmir division, two divisional level DPCs have been conducted during the last two years affecting promotions of 636 teachers as in-charge masters. 13 district level DPCs were conducted during the last two years for promotion of 155 non-teaching officials of the department,” the education minister was informed during the review meeting through a powerpoint presentation.

As per the official figures, out of 8902 works approved by the Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India (GoI) under Samagra Shiksha around 2353 are under execution while 4703 have been completed and 301 are being taken up. “Out of the approved cost of Rs. 1246 crore, 823 crore have been released and expenditure of Rs. 662.61 crore have been booked on these works,” the official document reads.