Srinagar, Feb 20 (KNO): The government on Friday suspended Chief Education Officer (CEO) Bandipora, a day after he cancelled the deputation of 34 teachers posted in the remote Gurez area but deployed in other zones without formal approval, officials said.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Balbir Kumar has been placed under suspension with immediate effect pending an enquiry into his conduct under Rule 31 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956, reveals an order issued by the School Education Department.
During the suspension period, the CEO has been attached to the Directorate of School Education, Kashmir. The order, however, does not detail the specific grounds for the enquiry.
On February 19, Kumar had withdrawn the deployment of 34 teachers who were originally appointed in Education Zone Gurez but had been working in other education zones of Bandipora district.
He had directed them to report back to their original place of posting immediately, warning of disciplinary action in case of non-compliance.
Officials said the move had triggered discontent in certain quarters, as several of the deputations were allegedly made without proper administrative sanction.
The issue of teacher attachments in Gurez had earlier come under scrutiny following an audit by the Principal Accountant General (Audit), Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2025.
The audit report flagged irregular attachments in Zone Dawar of Gurez and pointed to unauthorised deployments with financial implications of over Rs 5 crores.
It observed that despite sanctioned posts, schools in the remote and tribal belt were functioning with staff shortages due to prolonged attachments of teachers to other zones and offices.
The report also noted that several of the deployments lacked formal approval from the competent authority, leading to imbalance in staff distribution.
The findings had sparked debate over the impact on the Pupil-Teacher Ratio in far-flung areas, with allegations that teachers from difficult posting areas were shifted to relatively accessible zones, leaving schools in Gurez understaffed—(KNO)