Faculty shortage affects academics in govt schools

Tribune News Service
Jammu, October 15

With less than six months to go for the commencement of the annual board exams for the secondary and higher secondary classes, students in government schools are a worried lot over the completion of syllabus on time due to the paucity of teaching faculty.

The state-run schools in the Jammu region, especially in far-flung districts, are facing paucity of subject teachers and lecturers.

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry in 2018 while expressing concern over the non-availability of subject teachers in 90 per cent state-run secondary schools had directed J&K to fill more than 3,900 vacant posts of teachers but the process is yet to be fully completed.

Sources said more than 300 higher secondary schools across the state are facing acute shortage of lecturers, which has put the academic career of students at stake.

They further said the situation was worse in the newly created and upgraded government higher secondary schools where the strength of lecturers was very poor.

“By January end or February first week, the J&K Board of School Education (JKBOSE) releases the date-sheet for the board exams but the real worry is the uncovered syllabus.

Generally, by November-December, the syllabus should have been finished so that the students got enough time for its revision, which seems impossible at this moment”, Sharat Kumar, a Class XII student said.

“Be it medical, arts or the commerce stream, there are not many lecturers available in the schools to teach. Not all students can afford to go to tuition centres to complete their syllabus as they rely on lecturers to complete the syllabus in the schools only”, he added.

“In government high schools, the situation is more or less remains the same. Subject teachers are not available to teach subjects like Political science, mathematics and English. We have apprised the school heads a number of times about this critical issue but in vain”, said Gautam Singh, a Class X student.“Lack of teaching faculty is a serious problem which should be addressed on a priority basis by the government. Either the subject teachers or the lecturers be hired on a large scale or new recruitment be done to solve this ongoing crisis being faced by the government schools since long”, one of the principals of a government higher secondary school said.

“The government high and higher secondary schools in districts like Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Ramban, Doda are at the receiving end. A majority of the schools does not have sufficient faculty to teach”, he added.