Schools facing dearth of teaching staff due to non-recruitment: Itoo

Vikas Sharma

JAMMU, Mar 18: Due to non-recruitment of General Line Teachers for last six years, the School Education Department was facing some dearth of teaching staff.

However, the Government is trying its best and is hopeful that the shortage of staff shall be managed through the rationalization process to ensure educational institutions function smoothly.

This was disclosed by the Minister for Education, Sakina Itoo, while responding to the question of Member Sajjad Shaheen in the Assembly today.

She said, “Yes, it is a fact that there is shortage of General Line Teachers (GLTs) in the schools mainly due to non-recruitment of Teachers since 2019 in view of SAC decision where under the posts of General Line Teachers stand freezed for conversion of RETs in to Grade-II and Grade-III Teachers.”

“Due to large number of retirements and promotions, the vacancies of substantial number of Teachers have been caused and remained unfilled. While, a large number of schools have been upgraded, most of them without the creation of teaching staff also have resulted into the shortage of staff in the schools,” said Itoo.

The Minister said, “As there are no vacancies of Teachers available with the Department of School Education, the financial implications and constraints cannot be calculated. Once the posts of Teachers are de-freezed the requirement of financial resources can be worked out.”

“However, the department is making all out efforts to ease out the situation by way of proper rationalization, engaging CRCs and affecting promotions of various cadres to streamline the teaching staff and maintain pupil teacher ratio in the Government schools,” Itoo said.

On the question, that what steps has been taken by the Government for smooth functioning of the institutes and to overcome the shortage of teachers in the rural and far flung areas of Ramban and other districts, the minister replied, “Like other areas, in Ramban district also there is some dearth of teaching staff in the schools of other districts.”

Providing more details in the House, the Minister said, “As per the latest details the total number of Teachers in the district is 3470, out of which 715 are vacant at present. All teaching staff appointed or posted in District Ramban is performing their duties at their substantive places of posting.”

“It is important to note that most of the schools in district Ramban are located in hilly areas. The shortage of staff is meted out through rationalization process. During the previous Academic year, 124 Teachers were rationalized for smooth functioning of educational institutions and moreover the services of 75 CRCs were hired for providing teaching support at Higher Secondary and High Schools Level.”

“For the current Academic year, the shortage of staff shall be managed through the rationalization process to ensure educational institutions function smoothly. Besides, 594 posts of Lecturers have been referred to JKPSC for making recruitments which will ease out deficiency of Lecturers in J&K including Ramban district,” she informed.

Replying on the another query of the member, about whether the Government has any plan to provide hardship allowances to the employees, serving in remote areas to attract teachers and other staff to serve there the Minister said, “The provision of hardship allowance to the employees serving in remote areas to attract teachers and other staff to serve there is a policy matter. At present there is no such proposal before the Government.”

“However, the department is engaging Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs) since 2023 temporarily on a yearly basis. During the year 2024-2025 (1496) CRCs have been engaged on a monthly Honorarium of Rs 25,000 till 31-03-2025,” she said.

Itoo further said that the department has not been engaging Teachers on contractual basis as the matter involves huge financial resources and infrastructure required to be concurred by the Department of Finance.

“We are committed to reform and revamp the Education department with the objective of giving our students the best curriculum and provide them knowledge and skills to compete with the best in the world,” she added.