JK faces severe shortage of teachers: Minister
Says no school upgradation happened since 2023
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday said that the UT is facing a severe shortage of teachers due to the halt in recruitment since 2019, adding that no schools have been upgraded in the last two years as the government currently has no policy for school upgradation.
In response to a question by Arjun Singh Raju, Education Minister Sakina Masood Itoo in a written reply informed the assembly that teacher recruitment has been stalled since 2019 following a State Administrative Council (SAC) decision.
The conversion of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers to Grade-II and Grade-III posts has also been frozen, further affecting staff availability. Despite efforts through rationalization, engagement of Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs), and promotions, the shortage persists, the minister added.
Notably, official figures say that Jammu and Kashmir has 18,723 government schools, including 8,943 primary schools, 7,255 middle schools, 1,744 high schools, and 781 higher secondary schools.
The total number of teachers, including Cluster Resource Coordinators (CRCs), is 78,271. Since 2023, 1,496 CRCs have been temporarily engaged with a monthly honorarium of ₹25,000, but no contractual teachers or lecturers have been hired after 2019. The minister further stated that no schools have been upgraded in the last two years and that no policy exists for school upgradation at present.
