The School Education Department has come in for criticism for not referring all the vacant posts of teachers in the department to the J&K Service Selection Board.
The department, according to sources, has referred only such number of posts of teachers to the SSB which were vacant up to 2016, “thereby diminishing the chances of educated youth to get employment.”
The department in February this year referred 2451 posts of teachers to J&K Service Selection Board (SSB) for selection and recruitment, an official said.
“But the posts were referred to SSB on the basis of vacancies of teacher posts which had become available up to September 2016. They have not sent the updated number of vacancies available in the department, which is much higher,” he said.
“Given the rate of unemployment and available job opportunities in the state, the department should have referred all the vacant posts to the SSB for selection,” Bashir Ahmad, a post graduate student from Bandipora district, said.
Recently, SSB advertised 2154 posts of teachers- 1296 general line, 214 Urdu teachers and 644 in Science and Mathematics streams.
“But once we go as per the distribution of posts for each district, the number of posts is less than the actual vacant posts of teachers available in every district,” another official said.
The official without divulging exact number, said scores of teachers got retired while some were promoted as masters causing further vacancy of teacher posts.
“In Ganderbal district, we have 198 posts of teachers vacant but only 89 posts have been advertised by SSB recently,” the official said.
Also, 38 posts of teachers- 23 general teacher, 11 Science/Math and 4 Urdu, have been advertised for Kupwara district. “But available vacancies are more than this,” the source said.
Already, the department in its SRO 508 issued on December 14 this year maintained that 95 percent of vacancies will be filled by direct recruitment while as rest of the five percent vacancies will be filled through promotion from class IV category “B” who possess minimum qualification of 10+2 with three years substantive services in that class.
“But the chief education officers have not referred vacancies to directorate as per the new recruitment rules. They referred 75 percent vacancies to directorate and kept 25 percent posts for promotion quota,” a source in department said.
Secretary, School Education Department, Farooq A. Shah, admitted that recent posts were advertised on the basis of vacancies which were available in 2016 and said other posts will be filled as well.
“The exercise has been started already and posts which were left vacant after 2016 will be filled as well.
“Director Kashmir and director Jammu have sent the details of the teachers’ posts left vacant post-2016. We will forward them to SSB. We are at it,” he said.