SRINAGAR: Jammu Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday handed over regularisation orders to 863 Contingent Paid Workers (CPWs) of the School Education Department from various districts of the Jammu province, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the workforce.
The ceremony also marked the inauguration of the Vidya Samiksha Kendra under Samagra Shiksha and the launch of several ICT and data-driven platforms aimed at modernising and strengthening the education ecosystem across the Union Territory.
The event was attended by Minister for School Education Sakina Itoo, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, MLAs Pyare Lal and Er Khurshid Ahmed, and senior officials, including Secretary, School Education Department Ram Niwas Sharma, and Project Director, Samagra Shiksha Bhawani Rakwal.
In his address, the Chief Minister hailed the move as a significant welfare measure, commending the CPWs for their “dedication and patience” while awaiting regularisation. He praised Minister Itoo and the department for their coordinated efforts in delivering this long-standing commitment.
Highlighting ongoing reforms, Abdullah announced that nearly 1,000 infrastructure projects are underway in the education sector, with around Rs 450 crore allocated for civil works. He said that by March 2026, all Higher Secondary and High Schools in the region would have smart classrooms and laboratories, enabling students to compete nationally.
Reflecting on the government’s first year, he said the administration had faced “many challenges but achieved meaningful progress,” urging the newly regularised employees to serve with renewed commitment, as “the future of our next generation depends on the quality of education we deliver today.”
During the event, the Chief Minister also felicitated 25 NEET and JEE achievers from the Jammu region, presenting them with certificates and tablets as a token of encouragement.
Minister Sakina Itoo described the regularisation drive as “a moment of relief and recognition for hundreds of families,” crediting the Chief Minister’s steadfast resolve for making it possible. She added that around 400 CPWs in Kashmir have already been regularised, with remaining cases under active consideration.
Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani termed the day “historic,” symbolising one year of constructive governance under Omar Abdullah’s leadership, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to inclusivity and fair employment practices.
Earlier, Secretary Ram Niwas Sharma underlined the government’s focus on strengthening the education system through institutional reform, digital transformation, and capacity building.
Alongside the regularisation ceremony, the Chief Minister unveiled the Vidya Samiksha Kendra, a data-driven educational monitoring and analytics hub, and launched new ICT initiatives, including JK DigiLearn, Shikshak Sahayak, JK Edu Insights, JK MIS, JK CRM, and Teachers Analytics Portal.
