The Higher Education Department (HED) in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory is at Crossroads. At a time when the authorities has shown keen interest in spending enormous public money on construction activities, simmering discontent is prevailing among teachers due to glaring gaps in effective implementation of National Education Policy 2020 and lackadaisical approach of authorities towards scores of infectious issues afflicting functioning of several Government Degree Colleges’ (GDC).
There are reports that GDCs are facing impediments in realizing goals and objectives of NEP 2020 due to growing shortage of teachers. Asserting this emerging situation as catastrophic, a GDC Principal confiding anonymity said, “The first casualty is choice based education which categorized as pivotal of NEP 2020 and steadily transformed into a platform of deception and aberration where students are forced to opt for subjects’ combination against their choice”. If this pathetic situation prolong –soon the NEP 2020 in our UT turns out to be a disaster on ground despite its colorful and eyes appealing projection in official records, he warned.
Worst, reeling under severe shortage of teachers and several headless GDCs’, the authorities has commenced Academic session 2025-26. Currently, 7 GDCs-Reasi, Pouni, Purmandal, Samba, Kathua (Boys), Rajouri and Bhaderwah in Jammu and 6 GDCs-Boniyar, Frisal, Chadoora, Charar-i-Sharief, Bijbehara and Uri in Kashmir are running without Principals for last several months.
A professor of GCW, Parade on condition of anonymity said,“Prolong operation of academic institutions without Principal severely dents administrative functioning besides undermine the academic discipline in campus”.
The tragedy and comedy of the matter is that even as several GDCs are lying headless, the head of several colleges in Kashmir as well as Jammu disappeared in oblivion availing CCL after their appointment as Principal. Sanctioning leaves of Intuitions’ heads for long period especially after their elevation as Principal is nothing short of an administrative farce, alleged insiders.
While there is no end to saga of suffering for students due to manmade academic mess, Department of Political Science as well as History in GDC (Boys) Kathua are without single teaching staff. This sad state of affair is prevailing in more than 100 GDCs’, revealed our sources in HED.
Ironically, when majority of GDCs are crying for non availability of teachers, chunk of teachers devising instrument of shady deputations are on excursion in Civil Secretariat, Cluster Universities, Nodal Principal office, NEP Cell & Director Colleges office.
Even as this was not enough, the generous officers in Civil Secretariat has favored few blue eyed teachers with shuttling postings so that they continue to hold their footings in comfort zones despite being transfer to far flung GDCs. Recently, one teacher namely Kuldeep Raina was transferred to Bishnah after remaining entrenched for 15 years in Govt. MAM College in Jammu City.
However, in an alleged official communiqué, the said teacher has to remain available in equal half of a week in two separate colleges. Annie Ambreen besides another lady professor was the first beneficiaries of this mind blowing transfer policy coined by our most efficient Civil Servants last year.
It would not be out of place to mentioned here that, in past two influential teachers despite objections by incumbent Principals’ GDC, Ramnagar and GDC, Samba allowed by HED to continue on clerical assignments in Cluster University of Jammu for prolong period resulting in suffering of class works in their actual place of postings.
Many termed this practice of favoritism as tragedy with education in J&K. Similar is the fate of one teacher currently posted in GGM Science College and known for dancing in the corridors of Civil Secretariat for the last 15 years.
Forced with burden of extra classes, recently annoyed academicians under the banner of College Teachers Association, Jammu has apprised higher ups about the prevailing mess in GDCs asserting that prolong delay in resolving acute shortage of teachers is detrimental to quality education which in turn will play havoc with holistic journey of students as envisaged in NEP2020.