KL Report
SRINAGAR
Additional charge syndrome is affecting Valley’s education sector badly. Reliable sources told CNS that four Chief Education Officers (CEO) posts are lying vacant in the Education department. Additional charges have been given to mostly Principal DIETs in Srinagar, Kupwara, Ganderbal and Baramulla.
Chief Education Officer Srinagar, Nazir Ahmed Kanth was attached to Director Education Office and his charge was given to Principal DIET Munshi Javid.
“It is irony that that instead of functioning from CEO office Srinagar, Munshi Javid is seen present at his Bemina office. Additional syndrome is badly affecting this sector,” one of the senior officers in Education department told CNS on condition of anonymity.
In Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, Deputy CEO, Khazar Muhammad Mir is functioning as CEO from past many months. One of the senior officers said that there are so many Principals in the district who are senior to deputy CEO and as a result the deputy CEO is not having any control over them. This has affected the functioning of the education department badly,” he said.
Reliable sources told CNS that post of CEO is also lying vacant in North Kashmir’s Baramula district. “The Principal DIET has given the additional charge of CEO Baramulla. The fact is that his DIET office is located in Sopore while the CEO office is in Baramulla,” a senior officer said adding that the teachers of the district are facing enormous problems due to this present mess.
Same situation is prevailing in Kupwara district as well. This district has 14 education zones including Karnah and Tanghdar. Here the additional charge has been again given to Principal DIET Ashok Kumar.
Sources said that additional charges are being assigned to appease some particular political leaders and groups. “A Chief Education Officer in one of the districts of South Kashmir was transferred only after 3 months because he had started a drive against the teachers associated with Kashmir Teachers Forum who used to remain always absent from their duties,” sources said.
When contacted, Education Minister Tara Chand told CNS that the Department is going take away these additional charges from the said officers and would fill up the vacant posts. He said that CEO Baramula was attached on the basis of a complaint and “we had no option but to assign the additional charge to Principal DIET. We are going to soon fill up these vacant posts,” he said.
