J&K’s Vision Document exposes teaching skill deficit in Govt schools

Srinagar, Nov 1: A troubling situation has come to the forefront in Jammu and Kashmir as a government report has shed light on a pressing concern that a ‘considerable’ number of teachers in the government sector are not adequately prepared to fulfill their roles in the classroom.
The J&K government’s Vision Document 2047 reveals that the primary weakness identified is the substantial portion of teachers lacking the requisite expertise in the art of teaching.
This revelation has set alarm bells ringing within the education sector of the region.
The Vision Document 2047, a blueprint for the future of education in J&K, states, “A considerable chunk of human resources is not skilled in the art of teaching. Over 36,000 Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReTs) and Regularised Rehbar-e-Taleem (RReTs) teachers are not possessing the desired level of qualification have been regularised.”
This highlights a glaring gap in the qualifications and preparedness of the teaching workforce.
In addition to the human resource deficit, infrastructural gaps have also been identified, especially in schools located in remote and hilly terrains.
The document states, “Infrastructure gaps exist in schools, particularly in 5,000 institutions situated in remote and hilly terrains. Development works get delayed due to hilly terrain and climatic conditions in snow-bound areas.”
These challenges hamper the establishment and maintenance of adequate educational facilities in such regions.
The SWOT analysis has identified threats in the education sector, including the need for enhanced monitoring of private educational institutions and the presence of untrained teachers like Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers in government schools ensuring that these educational institutions meet the prescribed standards and that teachers are adequately qualified is imperative for the sector’s development.
Despite these challenges, the report also highlights several strengths in the education sector.
Notably, the region possesses a substantial human resource of 1.67 lakh teachers, providing an average of one teacher for every 16 students.
The pupil-teacher ratio is well within prescribed norms, standing at 1:14 in government schools. Furthermore, J&K boasts an adequate number of schools, with 28,805 institutions serving 27.18 lakh students, equating to one school for approximately 94 students on average, and one school for every 62 students in government schools.
Adequate funding has been approved by both the Central and J&K governments under initiatives such as Samagra Shiksha, Mid-Day Meal, Padhna Likhan Abhiyan, Capex Budget, and JKIDFC funding.
This financial support is essential for sustaining and improving the educational infrastructure in the region.
With 28,805 schools, including 23,117 government-run schools and 5688 under other management, and a total enrollment of over 27.18 lakh students from pre-primary to class XII, the school education department plays a vital role in the economy and overall development of Jammu and Kashmir.
The broader focus areas of the School Education Department’s vision for 2047 aim to propel J&K to the top ranks in the country’s education sector, thereby competing with the best-performing countries globally.
The primary goal is to provide quality education to every child in the region. Furthermore, the J&K government has set an ambitious target of achieving a 100 percent literacy rate by 2031.
“With significant progress in literacy rates, increasing from 11.03 percent in the 1961 census to 67.16 percent in 2011, there is optimism that the goal of 100 percent literacy can be achieved shortly,” it states.