Jammu, Feb 4: The education department in the Karnah constituency is facing a severe staff crunch, with nearly 38 per cent of teaching posts lying vacant in schools for the past several years.
Out of a sanctioned strength of 405 teaching positions, only 250 are currently filled, while 155 posts remain vacant. Official figures show that of the 83 sanctioned lecturer posts, just 28 have been filled, leaving 55 positions vacant.
Rural schools in the constituency have been particularly affected. Against a sanctioned strength of 98 posts for Masters, only 63 are in place, while 35 posts remain unfilled.
The shortage of teachers has adversely impacted academic standards, with students bearing the brunt of the staffing gaps. Similarly, of the 224 sanctioned Teacher Grade posts, only 159 are filled, leaving 65 vacancies.
The government, however, attributed the shortage to the freezing of posts following the absorption of Teacher Grade II and III staff into the department in 2018, which affected salary withdrawals.
These details were revealed in a written reply by Education Minister Sakina Itoo to a query raised by Karnah MLA Javed Ahmad Mirchal in the Legislative Assembly. (Agencies)
