SRINAGAR: Minister for Education Sakeena Itoo on Friday reviewed human resource management (HRM) matters in the School Education Department, including seniority lists, promotions, higher-post placements, regularisation, recruitment and service rules.
At a meeting at the Civil Secretariat, officials informed the Minister that final seniority lists covering 21,323 PG Masters/PG Teachers across 32 disciplines had been issued during the past year. Seniority lists for four other disciplines are under preparation. The final seniority list for 3,509 Headmasters and equivalent posts has also been issued.
The review showed that 869 placements against higher posts have been made. These include 197 PG Masters/PG Teachers placed as In-charge Lecturers and 672 other placements, covering Principals as In-charge Chief Education Officers, Headmasters as In-charge Zonal Education Officers and Masters as In-charge Headmasters.
Consideration zones have been prepared for 988 PG Masters/PG Teachers for placement as In-charge Lecturers, while 150 other incumbents are under consideration for higher posts.
On Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) proceedings, the meeting was informed that consideration had been completed for 10 of 36 subjects/disciplines. Cases in the remaining 26 disciplines, involving around 2,000 placements, are pending consideration. Consideration zones have been prepared for several subjects and for CEOs/equivalent posts.
The Minister was also informed that 53 incumbents from different disciplines and cadres had been regularised during the past two years. Itoo directed officers to process eligible pending regularisation cases under the applicable rules.
The recruitment of Lecturers was also reviewed. Against 594 vacancies in 27 disciplines referred to the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC), 586 selections have been received.
Appointment orders have been issued for 291 selected candidates, while the cases of another 213 candidates are under process following receipt of the required verification reports. The department has also begun identifying available Lecturer vacancies for a fresh referral to the JKPSC.
The meeting further reviewed the revision of the Jammu and Kashmir School Education (Gazetted) Service Recruitment Rules. Officials said the final draft had been shared with Heads of Departments for comments and would subsequently be submitted for the prescribed clearance process. Revision of the School Education (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules has also been initiated.
The department’s proposal to utilise 50 per cent of General Line Teacher (GLT) vacancies arising from promotions and retirements for fresh recruitment was also discussed. The proposal is being re-examined following observations from the Finance Department. Itoo directed the department to submit the necessary queries to the Finance Department within a week.
Officials also briefed the Minister on cases involving higher qualifications acquired through distance or online mode. A one-time exemption has so far been granted to 14,966 incumbents, comprising 7,377 from Jammu Division and 7,589 from Kashmir Division.
Itoo directed officers to maintain time-bound processing of pending HRM cases and ensure that matters relating to seniority, promotion, regularisation and recruitment are dealt with according to the applicable rules and procedures.
The meeting was attended by senior officers, including the Directors of School Education Jammu and Kashmir, the Special Secretary and the Additional Secretary. Officers posted outside Srinagar joined the meeting virtually.
