Avinash Azad
The Jammu and Kashmir government has admitted to a severe shortage of staff in primary and secondary-level schools across the Union Territory, attributing it to a six-year recruitment freeze, large-scale retirements, and gaps created due to promotions.
The revelation came in response to a pointed query raised by Jammu North MLA Sham Lal Sharma during the ongoing Budget Session 2025.
Sharma questioned the government about the staff deficit in government schools and sought explanations for the reasons behind it. In its written response, the government conceded, “Yes, it is a fact that there is a dearth of staff in primary and secondary level schools of UT of J&K because of the following reasons: No recruitments of General Line Teacher posts could be made for the last six years in view of the SAC decision of 2018, wherein the posts of General Line Teachers and non-teaching cadre posts were frozen for conversion of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers into Grade-II and Grade-III. Furthermore, large numbers of retirements over the years and the subsequent non-filling of substantial vacancies have worsened the crisis. Due to promotions, mostly from Teacher Cadre to Master Cadre, a large number of teacher posts have remained vacant.”
Massive Shortfall in Jammu District Schools
Providing district-wise details, the government disclosed that in Jammu district alone, there are 8,862 sanctioned posts for teaching and non-teaching staff, ranging from Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) to Principals. Alarmingly, 2,226 posts remain vacant, while 6,236 are filled.
The situation in Jammu North Constituency is even more perplexing, as the government’s data indicates an anomaly where eight Masters and 43 Teachers are reported as surplus—a revelation that contradicts the dire staffing scenario presented for the rest of the region.
Education in Crisis: Teachers Missing, Students Suffer
The confirmation of the acute staff shortage raises serious concerns over the state of education in Jammu and Kashmir, where thousands of students in government schools are being deprived of quality education due to understaffed institutions. The government’s admission of *no recruitment for six years* has further exposed the failure to address the issue in a timely manner, allowing it to snowball into a full-blown crisis. Educationists and stakeholders have long warned that the 2018 SAC decision to freeze General Line Teacher posts without an alternative recruitment strategy would cripple the education sector. The lack of a clear roadmap to fill vacancies continues to jeopardize learning outcomes and the future of thousands of students in government-run schools.
