Srinagar, Mar 28 (KNO): In Jammu and Kashmir at least 4479 lecturer posts are lying vacant—forcing the School Education Department (SED) to hire Clusters Resources Coordinators (CRCs) to support teaching in Higher Secondary Schools facing staff shortages.
The official figures available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveal that at least 4479 lecturer posts are lying in the School Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir.
In Kashmir division 2038 lecturer posts are lying vacant followed by 2441 vacancies in Jammu region.
The government in the Legislative Assembly said that with regard to the vacancies of teachers, all the existing and anticipated vacancies of Teachers are being utilized for the transition of ReTs into Teacher Grade-II and Grade-III, who were engaged under SSA.
“The posts of General Line Teachers under direct recruitment quota cannot be filled up in view of the freezing of the posts pursuant to the cabinet decision for transition and conversion of RReTs to teacher Grade-Il and Grade-III,” the government said.
The concerned minister further informed the house that, “The School Education Department has referred a total of 594 posts of Lecturers in various disciplines under the direct recruitment quota to the Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission for the selection and recruitment of eligible candidates.”
“Out of 27 disciplines JKPSC has forwarded the list of nine disciplines namely Kashmiri, Dogri, Statistics, Punjabi, Music, Geography, History, Arabic and Geology consisting of 30 candidates and further course of action has been initiated in the department,” the government said.
It also said that the vacant posts falling under the promotion quota are being filled through the Public Service Commission or Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) in accordance with the prescribed rules and procedures.
The house was also informed that the department has initiated the exercise of placing eligible Masters and Teachers as in-charge lecturers in various disciplines.
“As of now, 48 PG Masters and PG Teachers have been elevated as in-charge lecturers in Geography, 100 in Political Science, 10 in Dogri,” the government said.
About the hiring of guest teaching faculty, the government informed the house that, “There is no proposal for providing guest teaching staff in the Educational Institutions. However, the department during the academic session 2025-2026 hired Clusters Resources Coordinators as an interim measures to support teaching in Higher Secondary Schools facing staff shortages.”—(KNO)