The School Education Department seems to have learnt no lessons from its past mistakes as it has again committed a blunder while ordering transfers of Principals and officials of equivalent ranks.

The authorities in school education Department on August 31 ordered for reshuffle of around 40 Principals in Jammu region however, it has included the officials who have expired in past months.

As per the government order number 613 of 2017, secretary school education Department has reshuffled 39 Principals including Ashok Kumar.

Kumar as per the order has been transferred from Higher Secondary School (HSS) Ramnagar and posted as HoD District Institute of Education and Trainings (DIET) in Kud, Udhampur area.

However, the official-Ashok Kumar has passed away in past month after suffering a cardiac arrest.

“Ashok Kumar died months ago of cardiac arrest in the school premises,” an official in school education Department said.

Kumar is figuring at serial number 3 of the transfer list, however, the government had to cut a sorry figure after it was ascertained that he (Kumar) has passed away.

“This is not for the first time wherein authorities have committed such blunders but it has become a routine now. During every reshuffle we see names of retired or expired people in the list,” a senior official in education Department said.

Interestingly, the government last month ordered reshuffle of over 160 Principals and officials of equivalent ranks from Kashmir division. However, the list included names of people who had retired few months ago.

Same mistakes were committed by the directorate of school education Kashmir in March this year after it issued orders for reshuffle of teachers, masters and lecturers to their new place of postings. However, the Department received severe criticism after it came to fore that expired and retired faculty members were existing in the transfer list.

While secretary school education Department was not available for comments, a senior official said the Department was preparing transfer list of principals from past many months however, principal Ramnagar met with an accident last month and the director school education Jammu didn’t furnish updated information to the higher ups.

“The transfer order of Kumar will be treated as cancelled,” the official said.

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