SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department has issued appointment orders to only 291 of the 586 candidates recommended by the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC) for lecturer posts, with the remaining selected candidates still awaiting completion of formalities, the government informed the Legislative Assembly on Friday.
The disclosure was made in response to a starred question raised by Bani MLA Rameshwar Singh regarding the status of teaching and non-teaching staff in schools in his constituency and the steps being taken to fill vacant posts.
According to the government, the School Education Department had referred 594 lecturer posts of different streams to the JKPSC for direct recruitment. Following the selection process, the Commission recommended 586 candidates to the department for issuance of formal appointment orders.
“After fulfillment of all codal formalities, the department has issued appointment orders in favour of 291 candidates and the adjustment/posting of these lecturers are in pipeline,” the government said in its reply.
It added that appointment orders for the remaining selected lecturers would be issued shortly after completion of the required codal formalities.
The department has also said that it is in the process of effecting promotions of Post Graduate (PG) Master Teachers as lecturers, a measure it said would help address the shortage of teaching staff across the Union Territory, including in the Bani constituency.
The government’s response came against the backdrop of questions over the availability of teaching staff in Bani. It said that 645 teaching staff and 73 non-teaching staff are presently working in the constituency.
The department further informed the House that vacancies under the promotion quota, both district and divisional cadre, are required to be filled through the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), and the matter is currently under active consideration.
The reply also disclosed that three teachers from Bani constituency had been deployed or attached to other areas during the past two years on security grounds or for census duty.
The government said the department was taking steps through direct recruitment as well as promotions to address vacancies and improve the availability of teaching staff.
The reply also stated that Bani has 236 government schools, of which 231 are functioning from government-owned buildings, while five are operating from rented accommodation.
The figures regarding the lecturer recruitment provide a snapshot of the gap between the selection process and actual appointment. While the JKPSC has already recommended 586 candidates, appointment orders have so far been issued to 291, leaving 295 selected candidates awaiting formal appointment.
The government, however, has indicated that the remaining appointment orders are expected to follow after completion of the prescribed formalities.
