Srinagar: Belying the tall claims of the JK government to provide adequate staff in schools, most of the schools are starving for teaching staff while as teachers enjoy non-teaching posting in offices at zonal and district level.

Some teachers, including ReT teachers have been illegally deputed in state Institute of education (SIE). Such moves speak volumes about the seriousness of the government to provide teaching staff in schools, sources said.

Top sources said the government has deployed an ReT teacher of Ganderbal district on SIE Srinagar who has been assigned to write press releases for the departmental functions.

The ReT teacher has been provided a separate room, a computer and one assistant for doing a non teaching job.

Besides, the government has also deployed hundreds of teachers in DIETS, CEO and ZEO offices who are assigned non teaching works in these offices, the sources added.

Pertinently, the department had claimed it will detach all the teachers from offices and post them back in their respective schools however, the initiative has seen zero implementation on ground.

“All the teachers are still enjoying their stay in these offices and schools in rural areas are facing dearth of teaching staff,” an official said.

Recently, CEO Bandipora hoodwinked the higher ups in the department saying that all the teachers were relieved from his office. However, he has retained all the teachers in CEO office on verbal orders, added the sources.

Interestingly, the same pattern is being followed in other districts where teachers are enjoying prolonged stints and are not posted in schools instead.

Secretary school education department Farooq Ahmad Shah meanwhile, said he has given clear directions to director School Education Kashmir to get all the teachers relieved from offices at zonal and district level.

“In case of Bandipora, we will initiate an inquiry and see why teachers have not been sent back to their schools,” he said.

However, sources said the secretary education himself has instructed Principal SIE to accommodate an ReT teacher in his office.

“The only purpose of his adjustment in SIE office Srinagar is to do promotion of the department as the said teacher is also associated with DD Kashmir as a news reader,” sources added.

Guest