Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 4: To review progress of the Education Department with regard to set targets, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand today on the maiden day of Secretariat opening in winter capital chaired a high level meeting of the provincial officers.
The meeting took a detailed review of the activities of the department in various districts of the province.
The meeting was attended by Director, School Education Jammu T.K. Sharma, Director, SSA S.C. Sawhney, Additional Secretary R.A. Inqalabi, Personnel Officer to Director Education, CEO, ZEOs, Principals, DIET and other officers of the department.
Taking note of available vacancy position in the department, the Deputy Chief Minister directed the concerned to take up the matter on priority and fill the vacant posts in time bound manner. He called for speeding up the process of recruitment besides fast tracking promotions of eligible workforce.
“Rural and border belt students are suffering most due to the shortage of staff and early recruitment and fast track promotions would address the problem to quite an extent,” he added.
He said the concept of recruiting ReTs in those areas where regular teachers fail to reach has shown results and now all the vacant positions of ReTs should be filled within fifteen days.
Calling for early regularization of education volunteers, Tara Chand said all those volunteers who have completed seven years should be regularized with a period of one week and no delay on this part would be tolerated.
He said recruitment for socially and educationally backward area and those near Line of Actual Control has been approved on the pattern of ReTs, adding that the same should also be completed at the earliest so as to give a boost to education in these backward areas of the state.
Underscoring on completing civil works undertaken in different schools in a time bound manner, Tara Chand said the works should be expedited and concerned CEO should personally monitor the pace and report delays if any to the concerned authorities.
He said infrastructure in the schools should be commensurate to the strength of the students and directions were issued to the executing agencies to hold proper consultations with the concerned head of institutions before taking up construction in the schools.