Government misses deadline: JKBOSE, SCERT remain headless as appointment panel expires
Srinagar, Oct 10: The panel of candidates recommended for the appointment of the Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) and Director, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has expired, leaving both crucial education institutions without permanent heads.
Confirming the development, Education Minister Sakina Itoo said the panel’s validity has lapsed after the passage of six months since its submission by the search committee.
“The validity of the panel of candidates submitted by the search committee has expired. We will make some arrangements to appoint a new Chairman of JKBOSE and Director SCERT,” Sakina Itoo told Greater Kashmir.
She said the department will soon initiate the process to fill the top positions, given the importance of both institutions.
“The Board cannot be kept headless, particularly with the annual JKBOSE exams approaching. The Board also has to make arrangements for textbooks and other academic activities as the new session begins. Considering these factors, we will take steps to get a new chairman for JKBOSE,” she said.
The minister added that the government is considering completing the process at the departmental level rather than constituting a fresh search committee, as doing so would “again be time-consuming.”“We will make a panel of a few candidates to select one for the post of Chairman of JKBOSE,” she said.
As already reported by this newspaper, the J&K government had on December 13, 2024, reconstituted a search committee to recommend panels of candidates for the posts of Chairman, JKBOSE, and Director, SCERT.
The search committee held interactions with shortlisted candidates on April 4, 2025, for both positions. Following these interactions, a panel of three candidates each was submitted to the government for final selection.
However, despite the completion of the entire process, the final selection was never approved by the government. The delay led to the expiry of the panel’s validity after six months, creating a leadership vacuum at the two apex education institutions.
A senior official said the situation reflects poorly on the administrative handling of key academic bodies.
“Both JKBOSE and SCERT are apex institutions and should not have been left headless for such a prolonged period. SCERT is a training institute, while JKBOSE deals with lakhs of students. In other states, these institutions are given top priority, but here they are being managed by officers as their additional charge,” the official said.
Currently, the Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), Higher Education Department, Shantmanu, is holding the additional charge of Director SCERT and Chairman JKBOSE as an interim arrangement.
Officials within the department acknowledge that the absence of permanent heads has hampered policy decisions, academic planning, and long-term reforms in both institutions.
The government, according to sources, is now under pressure to expedite the appointment process and ensure that JKBOSE and SCERT receive full-time leadership before the next academic session begins.
