SENTEF, JKADCSA decry misuse of teachers for administrative work

Srinagar, Jul 31: The School Education Non-Teaching Employees Forum (SENTEF) and the Jammu & Kashmir All Departments Clerical Staff Association (JKADCSA) Thursday jointly expressed strong resentment over what they termed as a blatant misuse of teaching staff for clerical and administrative work in violation of existing government norms.

In a joint statement issued here, SENTEF and JKADCSA expressed serious concern and unequivocal condemnation over a recent order issued by the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) vide Order No DSEK/IMW/197-25/TS/1538-41 dated July 26, 2025.

They said that the order arbitrarily assigns lecturers, masters, and teachers to non-teaching roles in the DSEK, Chief Education Officer (CEO), and Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) offices.

Terming the order as “unjustified and unlawful,” the two organisations said it violates Government Order No 1691-JK(Edu) of 2021 dated December 10, 2021, which explicitly bars deployment of teaching staff for non-teaching assignments. They also cited multiple communications and circulars issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) and the School Education Department reiterating the same.

“The highest authorities including the Lieutenant Governor, the Education Minister, and the Commissioner Secretary have time and again made it amply clear that teaching faculty shall not be utilized for clerical or administrative duties. These orders are sacrosanct to preserve academic standards and ensure the effective use of teaching manpower,” the statement said.

The associations pointed out that while the Directorate of School Education Jammu (DSEJ) had been strictly adhering to these guidelines, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) had gone against the official norms by transferring clerical staff to schools and replacing them with teachers for administrative tasks.

“This is an unconscionable inversion of roles and an apparent affront to institutional discipline,” SENTEF noted in a separate circular dated July 2, 2025.

The JKADCSA and SENTEF leadership, including Jeelani Naik, Ashish Sharma, Mir Muzaffar, Gurmeet Singh, Bashrat, Ashraf Khan, Jagdesh Thoker, and all district presidents, condemned the move in the strongest terms.

“Such illogical and arbitrary reshuffling not only undermines the very fabric of education but also represents a gross misuse of trained human resources. It directly disregards clear government policy and instructions issued from time to time,” they said.

The associations demanded immediate withdrawal of the order and urged the intervention of the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Minister, the Education Minister, and the Commissioner Secretary to the Government School Education Department to restore the sanctity of roles as outlined by the law.

“If the administration fails to act promptly, we will be left with no option but to launch peaceful protests to defend the dignity, rights, and professional roles of our members,” the statement said.

The associations reiterated that while they remain committed to supporting the education system, they would not tolerate any attempt to compromise the rightful duties of teachers and clerical staff.