SRINAGAR: In Jammu and Kashmir, more than 2,600 teachers are teaching students at all levels despite having below secondary level qualifications.
Ironically, out of the total number of teachers with below secondary level qualifications, over 1,700 are teaching primary level classes.
Official figures reveal that a total of 2,685 teachers with below secondary level qualifications were teaching students at all levels.
At the pre-primary level across Jammu and Kashmir, at least 276 such teachers were found to be teaching students.
Additionally, it is stated that more than 66 percent, or at least 1,773 teachers, with below secondary level qualifications were teaching students at the primary level.
Furthermore, official figures indicate that 540 teachers were teaching students at the upper primary level, followed by 88 teachers at the secondary level, and eight teachers at the higher secondary level.
Meanwhile, a government teacher, wishing to remain anonymous, stated, “As per government norms, a person should be at least a graduate in order to be able to teach students, regardless of the level, be it primary, upper primary, or secondary level.”
The teacher added that it does not matter whether these teachers are from government or private schools, emphasizing that they should enhance their qualifications to improve their teaching abilities and ensure that students do not suffer.
In 2021, the Government of India (GoI) stated that over 2,000 “untrained” teachers posted in government secondary schools in Jammu and Kashmir lack the necessary professional qualifications to teach students.
During a Project Approval Board Meeting (PAB) for the Ministry of Education (MoE) of the GoI and officials of Jammu and Kashmir earlier this year, it was stated, “Based on UDISE 2018-19, there are 2,061 untrained teachers in Government Secondary Schools who do not meet the necessary professional qualifications.”
In the meeting, the GoI advised the Jammu and Kashmir government to implement a policy to enroll such teachers in teacher education institutions to complete the professional course and obtain the minimum qualifications.
The GoI stated, “All untrained teachers need to be professionally trained in order to comply with National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) regulations.”
Furthermore, the GoI informed the Jammu and Kashmir government that during the current year, all remaining untrained teachers, masters, and lecturers of the School Education Department will be enrolled in the B.Ed course through IGNOU. (KNO)
