Vikas Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 28: The Higher Education Department in Jammu and Kashmir has been grappling with significant challenges as the Government continues to fail in filling over 1012 vacant posts of Assistant Professors in degree colleges across the Union Territory.
This failure has led to the department being run on a support system, severely impacting both the academic environment and the career prospects of students and lecturers alike.
According to reliable sources, the department had referred 840 posts to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for the recruitment of Assistant Professors, Librarians and Physical Training Instructors (PTIs).
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A notification was subsequently issued by the JKPSC to address the vacancies.
So far, selections and recommendations have been made for 476 candidates and formal appointment orders have been issued to them. However, the remaining 364 vacancies are still awaiting selections or recommendations.
In addition, 150 more vacancies have emerged in the Gazetted Categories for Assistant Professors, Librarians and PTIs, which are currently under review before being referred to the JKPSC for advertisement, in line with recruitment rules.
The Government has also failed to devise a comprehensive and fair job policy for staff engaged under academic arrangements, who have been serving in various degree colleges on a contractual basis for years.
These academic arrangement positions are typically filled by Masters or Ph.D. holders aiming to gain teaching experience and improve their chances of securing permanent teaching roles in the future.
These positions act as an internship platform, allowing candidates to refine their teaching skills and gain valuable experience to advance their careers in education.
Over the past year, the Government has made 476 permanent faculty appointments, with further recruitment efforts underway to strengthen the academic workforce and offer full-time positions to qualified individuals.
Meanwhile, the case for increasing the salary of academic arrangement staff from Rs 28,000 to Rs 57,000 per month, as per UGC guidelines, has been referred to the Finance Department for approval.
However, the Finance Department returned the case with certain observations, which are currently under review by the Higher Education Department. The department has sought additional information, and once provided, the case will be sent back to the Finance Department for further approval.
Furthermore, the issue of reinstating vacation salaries for academic arrangement staff, who are currently not entitled to these benefits, too remained unresolved.
However, in an attempt to address this, the Government has reduced the duration of unpaid vacation leave from 60 days to 50 days, as per new guidelines.
The ongoing delay in filling vacancies and addressing critical issues within the department highlights the need for immediate attention to ensure a stable and effective educational environment in Jammu and Kashmir.
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