SED on crutches as teaching, administrative positions remain vacant
Srinagar, Jan 6: The School Education Department (SED) has been left on crutches as key administrative and academic positions have remained vacant for years, throwing up a challenge for day-to-day operations and maintaining academic standards in government schools across Jammu and Kashmir.
The vacant positions have led to chronic adhocism in the SED, with officers of equivalent ranks managing unfilled posts as additional assignments, making it nearly impossible to run administrative affairs effectively.
As many as 3,720 lecturer positions—1,800 in Kashmir and 1,920 in Jammu—are lying vacant, creating a crisis at the secondary level as students face a shortage of teaching staff. As a temporary measure, the SED either shifts subject-specific teachers from elementary schools to higher secondary schools or hires Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs) to fill gaps.
Besides lecturers, 545 headmaster positions—295 in Kashmir and 250 in Jammu—remain vacant, leaving many high schools headless with the post managed by equivalent-rank officials as an additional assignment.
The department also has 60 Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) positions unfilled—23 in Kashmir and 37 in Jammu—leading to crises in managing administrative affairs at zonal offices. Additionally, 50 higher secondary principal positions are vacant.
An official said this was not the first time the department has been left to function on crutches due to unfilled positions. “Promotions and confirmations have become such a complicated issue that many employees attain superannuation while waiting for confirmation,” the official told Greater Kashmir. “All the mess has been created due to delays in timely promotions and fulfilling other formalities over the past many years.”
Earlier, the education minister said no promotions and Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) were held, leaving key positions vacant. “Since we formed the government, we have tried to streamline the system and fill vacant positions. We filled CEO posts and are planning to fill vacant ZEO positions,” she told Greater Kashmir.
Last year, the department promoted senior lecturers as principals and masters as headmasters. However, scores of administrative and academic positions remain unfilled.
