50% posts lying vacant in rural areas
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Oct 25: Notwith-standing the Government claims of improving the standard of education in its schools by bettering the infrastructure and quality staff, the Government schools particularly in rural areas of Jammu region continue to face shortage of staff affecting the education of the students to a great extent.
There is about 30 to50 percent shortage of staff in Government schools in rural belt in Jammu region with the authorities of Education Department looking as mute spectator to it instead of taking steps of settling the issue.
Except the Jammu district, almost all the Government educational institutions of other districts of the region are facing the dearth of staff and the authorities at the helm of affairs are hardly bothered for the same. It seems that filling up of vacant posts in these schools is nobody’s concern right from the Ministerial to the Director’s level, authoritative sources told Excelsior.
The shortage of staff especially the teachers, masters and subject wise lecturers in Higher Secondary schools and headmasters in High Schools is affecting the standard of education as well as studies of the students to a great extent. The Education Department is being run on casual basis as there is no body to hear the woes of students and their parents, sources said.
As per the data, in Doda district 300 posts of lecturers, 500 posts of masters and over 200 posts of teachers are lying vacant.
In Kishtwar district, 114 posts of lecturers, 273 posts of masters, 157 posts of RETs , 111 posts of class fourth employees, 57 posts of junior assistants, 38 posts of lab assistants , 19 posts of library assistants, 14 posts of senior assistants, 16 posts of headmasters in general line, 10 posts of headmasters in RMSA are lying vacant. Besides ,one post of Principal DIET, three posts of Principal HSSs, five posts of HoDs of DIET, two posts of ZEOs, two posts of ZEPOs, 10 posts of teachers, one post of AD (P&S), two posts of section officers, one post of Section Officer P&S, five posts of head assistants, four posts of librarians, all the nine posts of junior librarians, two posts of junior stenographers and one post of driver are also lying vacant.
In Udhampur district 152 posts of lecturers are lying vacant which is about 40 percent of sanctioned strength of lecturers posts in the district.
In Rajouri district 295 posts of masters, 190 posts of lecturers, 171posts of Sarav Shiksha Abhiyan teachers and 72 posts of general line teachers are lying vacant.
In Ramban 390 posts of masters, 130 posts of non teaching staff, 80 posts of lecturers and three posts of principals and 25 headmasters are lying vacant.
The condition is worst in Reasi district where 472 posts of masters , 146 posts of lecturers, 29 posts of headmasters , 12 posts of clerks and 33 posts of general line teachers are lying vacant.
The condition of some school buildings in the district is also worst. Sources said that the roofs of the schools which were damaged by the hailstorm last year have not been repaired. The condition in the district is such that the schools have to remain closed if a teacher proceeds on leave, sources said.
In Kathua 409 posts of general line teachers, 118 posts of lecturers and 75 posts of masters are vacant. The district faces shortage of two headmasters also in high schools.
In Samba district there is shortage 193 teachers, 30 lecturers and 26 masters.
However the condition is better in Jammu district where all posts in every category have been filled up. Though the data of Poonch district was not available but sources said the condition is worst there too as in far flung areas there is over 50 percent shortage of the staff.
Sources said despite launching various schemes by Government to improve the standard of education in the State like RAMSA, Sarav Shiksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal, the standard of education is day by day declining in the Government run schools with parents totally worried about the future of their wards reading there.
The situation deteriorated in rural belt more so in far-flung areas of Jammu region, sources said, adding except the lip service no concrete steps were taken by the Government to improve the same to bring its schools at par in competition level with private schools. The lackluster approach of the authorities at the helm of affairs is forcing the people to shift their children to private educational institutions but those who have no resources of bearing the expenses of private educational institutions are at receiving end, sources added.
Sources said instead of improving the functioning in Government educational institutions a total adhocism prevails there and the Department is being run on crutches. There is not only the shortage of staff in the schools but many Government schools san proper accommodation facilities, sources added.
Sources said the Department lacks accountability and mere transfer of power has failed to make any difference in improving the educational set up in Government schools over the years. Though the nation has stepped in 21st century but the situation in educational institutions in the State has not changed for better, sources added.
What can be more callousness of the authorities towards the students that the building for Rajgarh Higher Secondary School in Ramban district was constructed three years back after upgradation of High School Rajgarh to Higher Secondary School but the students of 11th and 12 standard were not shifted there and the classes are still taken in old High School in the Rajgarh which is in a nullah facing flood threat while the cattle are being kept in the newly constructed school building according to local residents.
Such a casual approach of the Government towards the studies of the students is shocking, said Mohammed Sharief a social worker of Rajgarh area. He said the newly constructed building constructed over two years back has been abandoned and the students of class 11th and 12th are studying in the old school building which is over crowded with over 600 students.
However, when contacted the Director School Education Jammu, Ravinder Singh said that the Department is seized with the issue and it has taken up the same with higher authroties including the Education Minister. He said the Minister is himself particular and has issued directives of appointing the teachers on contractual basis to be adjusted in the schools where there is dearth of teaching staff. In this regard a proposal will be submitted to Government soon, he added.
Singh said besides, the SSRB has also been asked to make the recruitment process of teachers on fast track basis for those posts which were referred to it. He said there are various reasons for the shortage of staff one is the retirement of the employees and delay in promotion of masters since 2014 as there was dispute over the degrees got by them from distance mode of education.
He said the Department has received the lsit of lecturers panel from Public Service Commission. Even to overcome the shortage of headmasters in schools 70 were promoted by the Department after he took over as Director.
Moreover one problem is that teaching staff shows reluctance to work in rural areas as there is less HRA in rural belt than in urban areas. The Department is trying to find a solution to this problem also so that the teachers are given some incentive to work in rural areas, he added.
To overcome the shortage of teaching staff, the ZEOs have been given directives to appoint on deployment basis when the teachers go on long leave so that the students do not suffer. Even CEOs have been asked to make academic arrangements on lecturers level, he added.
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