SRINAGAR: Nineteen of the 30 sanctioned posts for Punjabi teachers at Higher Secondary level in Jammu and Kashmir are vacant, with only 11 posts currently filled, the government has told the Legislative Assembly.
The School Education Department said 22 of the sanctioned posts are in Jammu division and eight in Kashmir division. It said the process for filling the vacancies has already been initiated through Departmental Promotion Committees and recruiting agencies.
The disclosure came in response to an unstarred question by MLA Narinder Singh Raina on the availability of Punjabi language teachers in schools and colleges, particularly in areas with a significant Sikh population.
The department said Punjabi has been introduced as a language subject under the Humanities faculty at Higher Secondary level alongside Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogri and other languages in educational institutions across J&K.
Of the 30 sanctioned Punjabi teaching posts, 11 are presently occupied, including one teacher recently appointed following selection by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission.
The department said it was also identifying available Punjabi teaching staff and deploying them to relevant schools through rationalisation until vacant posts are filled on a permanent basis.
The government has not specified a timeline for completing the recruitment process.
At the college level, the Higher Education Department said Punjabi is offered as a Major or Minor subject under the National Education Policy-2020 in 29 colleges in Jammu division and six in Kashmir division.
The subject is also being taught as Communication Punjabi under the Ability Enhancement Course in these institutions, according to the government.
The department said permanent Punjabi faculty was available in the colleges offering the subject, while faculty was also being engaged on academic arrangements in government degree colleges where permanent faculty was not available.
The annexure supplied with the government reply, however, lists vacancies in several colleges.
In Jammu division, the annexure covers 29 colleges and records total student enrolment of 996, against a sanctioned strength of 27 and 23 filled posts. It lists four vacancies overall.
The colleges with vacant posts include Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar; Government Degree College, Basholi; Government Degree College, Billawar; Government Degree College, Mahanpur; Government Degree College, Reasi; Government Degree College, Dharmari; Government Degree College, Budhal; and Government Degree College, Mendhar. The table also contains entries where the reported filled strength exceeds the sanctioned strength.
In Kashmir division, the annexure lists six colleges offering Punjabi, with reported student enrolment of 38. It records six sanctioned posts and three filled posts, while also listing vacancies in Government College for Women, Baramulla; Government College for Women, M.A. Road, Srinagar; and Government Degree College, Allochibagh.
The government said the Higher Education Department was taking steps to meet staffing requirements through academic arrangements wherever permanent faculty was unavailable.
The department’s response indicates that Punjabi has been formally incorporated into the curriculum across schools and a number of government colleges in both divisions, but staffing remains an issue at the school level, where 19 of the 30 sanctioned Higher Secondary posts are yet to be filled.
