Adhocism ruining education department as key posts remain vacant
Srinagar: There seems to be no end to the Adhocism in the school education department as the authorities at the helm of affairs continue to manage the crucial posts by assigning the additional charges to the officials in the department.
On Friday, the department ordered for assigning drawing and disbursing powers to the officers for managing almost 16 government high schools as their additional assignment.
The Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) G N Itoo issued an order wherein the zonal education planning officers (ZEPOs) and heads of the schools have been assigned the additional charges of the headless high schools in various districts of the valley.
As per the order, the five officers of the department have been assigned additional charge of five high schools in Baramulla district, two in Kupwara, one in Ganderbal, two in Anantnag, three in Kulgam and three in Shopian district.
The additional charge syndrome has adversely affected the academic performance of the schools as was evident as per the statistics revealed by JK Board of School Education (BOSE) after declaring the class 10th and 12th results.
It has been observed that the schools which have been rendered headless by the department performed poorly in the 10th and 12th class examination the result of which was declared by JKBOSE in December.
Around 58 higher secondary schools (HSS) in Kashmir are headless from the past several years out of which 44 schools performed poorly in the class 12th exams.
A top official in the department said the department was not taking such crucial issues seriously which has resulted in the declining of the otherwise dismal academic standards in the government schools.
“The schools are kept headless and some influential people are given additional charge of the headmaster or is given DDO powers which don’t go well in the long run,” the official said.
He said the department is delaying promotions of teachers, masters, ZEOs and other officers which has left the department on crutches and adversely affects the functioning of the schools.
Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) G N Itoo when contacted admitted that schools without permanent heads were facing impediments in improving academic standards saying that only permanent heads can supervise the institutions minutely.
“We are facing hiccups in filling the post of headmasters, Principals, ZEOs and other posts as some of these posts fall under reserved category. Supreme Court has given directions not to fill these posts,” Itoo said.
He said the department is in process of completing formalities of the eligible officers who will be promoted to their next levels which will reduce the adhocims in the department.
KV Correspondent
