SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department has reported 10,268 vacant Teacher posts and 5,278 vacant Master posts across the Union Territory, besides 2,154 Lecturer, 633 Head Master and 268 Principal vacancies.
The figures were disclosed in the government’s reply to an unstarred question, D.No. 1/6/314, raised by Jasrota MLA Rajiv Jasrotia on the recruitment, continuance and transfer policy for Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers, their deployment and the overall vacancy position in the School Education Department.
Of the 10,268 vacant Teacher posts, 8,153 are in Jammu division and 2,115 in Kashmir division. The vacancy position for Masters stands at 2,815 in Jammu division and 2,463 in Kashmir division.
In Jammu division, Rajouri has the highest number of vacant Master posts at 408, followed by Poonch with 381, Kathua 335, Jammu 327, Udhampur 287, Doda 276, Reasi 262, Ramban 249, Kishtwar 146 and Samba 144.
In Kashmir division, Kupwara has 413 vacant Master posts, followed by Anantnag with 359, Budgam 312, Pulwama 281, Baramulla 263, Kulgam 230, Srinagar 201, Bandipora 172, Shopian 139 and Ganderbal 93.
For Teacher posts, Rajouri has the highest number of vacancies in Jammu division at 1,517, followed by Jammu with 1,234, Kathua 1,213, Poonch 1,080, Udhampur 923, Doda 874, Reasi 497, Samba 348, Kishtwar 312 and Ramban 155.
In Kashmir division, Kupwara has 650 vacant Teacher posts, followed by Srinagar with 320, Ganderbal 284, Shopian 266, Bandipora 218, Anantnag 109, Kulgam 98, Pulwama 95 and Budgam 75. Baramulla has no Teacher vacancy listed in the government’s reply.
The department, however, said the available and anticipated vacancies of Teachers were being utilised for the transition of Teacher Grade-II and Grade-III posts under Government Order No. 20-Edu of 2019 dated January 22, 2019.
It said 28,363 supernumerary posts of Teacher Grade-II had been created under SAC Decision No. 166/22/2018 dated December 7, 2018, with the stipulation that the posts would be used exclusively for adjustment of RReTs.
The department said it had not referred non-gazetted posts, including Teacher posts, for more than five years in view of the same SAC decision.
On ReT recruitment, the government said the teachers were originally engaged under the guidelines of Government Order No. 396-Edu of 2000 dated April 28, 2000, on a village or habitation basis.
The ReT recruitment scheme was closed through Government Order No. 919-Edu of 2018 dated January 16, 2018.
Government Order No. 20-Edu of 2019, issued pursuant to SAC Decision No. 166/22/2018, stipulates that RReTs shall not be transferable except on mutual grounds.
The department said it had constituted a committee of officers through Government Order No. 687-JK(Edu) of 2025 dated December 2, 2025, to examine issues relating to the transfer, posting and adjustment of Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers and formulate a comprehensive, transparent and uniform transfer policy for RReTs across Jammu and Kashmir.
The proposed transfer policy is currently under consideration, with objections and suggestions invited from stakeholders before its finalisation, the government said.
The department also reported that 51 RReT/ReT teachers were attached or deployed in various districts of Jammu division on security, medical or humanitarian grounds.
Reasi accounts for the highest number at 21, followed by Rajouri with 11, Doda seven, Poonch five, Jammu four and Ramban three. No such deployment has been listed for Samba, Kathua, Kishtwar or Udhampur.
The government said it maintained a zero-tolerance policy against unauthorised attachments and that ReTs were not legally permitted to look after administrative desks or remain attached outside their substantive places of posting.
It said cancellation orders had been issued for teaching personnel attached to administrative offices, including Chief Education Officers’ and Zonal Education Officers’ offices, DIETs and directorates, with the personnel directed to report back to their parent schools.
Drawing and Disbursing Officers had also been directed to withhold the monthly salaries of teachers who failed to comply with detachment directives, according to the reply.
On recruitment rules, the department said the Jammu and Kashmir School Education (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules, 2008 were notified through SRO-308 dated October 16, 2008.
The rules are currently being revised and updated, with comments and views of the Directors of School Education, Jammu and Kashmir, and stakeholders to be considered before finalisation in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
On regularisation of ad hoc, contractual and academic-arrangement lecturers and teachers who had completed five years of continuous service, the department said the matter was a policy issue.
It said Contractual Lecturers/Teachers had been engaged on academic-arrangement basis in the recent past, but no contractual lecturers or teachers had been engaged by the department since 2019.
To address staff shortages, the department said it had engaged Cluster Resource Coordinators and Subject Specific Teachers under the centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha Scheme.
According to the reply, CRCs are engaged purely on a contractual basis with a monthly remuneration of Rs 25,000, while Subject Specific Teachers receive Rs 30,000 per month. The funding pattern under the scheme is 90:10.
The government also said reservation was not applicable to the categories of lecturers referred to in the question during recruitment as regular Teachers and Lecturers.
Among the gazetted posts under the promotion quota, 268 Principal, 2,154 Lecturer and 633 Head Master posts are vacant in the School Education Department.
The department said the process had been initiated to fill 138 of the 268 Principal vacancies from among Senior Lecturers. The remaining vacancies are to be filled from the ZEO cadre in an 80:20 ratio under the Jammu and Kashmir School Education (Gazetted) Service Recruitment Rules, 2010.
Under SAC Decision No. 166/22/2018, the department had been granted a one-time exemption to fill 4,224 Lecturer posts through 100 per cent promotion from eligible PG Masters/Teachers.
Of these, 2,070 posts have been filled so far, while the remaining 2,154 posts are in the process of being filled.
Separately, 594 Lecturer vacancies under the direct recruitment quota in 27 disciplines were referred to the J&K Public Service Commission through communications dated November 12, 2024, and January 1, 2025.
The commission has so far recommended 586 candidates to the department for issuance of formal appointment orders. After completion of codal formalities, the department has issued appointment orders to 327 candidates, while their adjustment and posting are in the pipeline.
Appointment orders for the remaining selected Lecturers are to be issued after completion of the required codal formalities, the government said.
In Jasrota constituency, the government has reported one vacant Principal post, 46 Lecturer posts, four Head Master posts and 37 Master posts.
No Teacher vacancy has been listed for Jasrota, with the department stating that all Teacher vacancies had been utilised for the transition of Teacher Grade-II and Grade-III posts.
The government reply was signed by the Minister in charge of School Education and the Deputy Secretary to the Government, School Education Department.
