Srinagar, Apr 11: The school education sector in J&K is grappling with a complex web of structural, administrative and demographic challenges, as the official figures paint a grim picture of the ground realities across schools, particularly in the north Kashmir area.
One of the major crises is the acute shortage of heads in the schools.
Official figures reveal that in Baramulla district alone, 15 Higher Secondary Schools (HSS) are functioning without principals, while 61 high schools are without headmasters.
This has led to the additional charge syndrome in the department, affecting the functioning of the school. Amid the absence of permanent heads of the schools, additional charge has been assigned to in-charge officials, raising concerns about administrative efficiency and academic oversight in the schools.
The situation is further aggravated by a severe staff crunch as 347 lecturer posts are lying vacant in the district.
While the government has referred 594 lecturer vacancies to the Public Service Commission, only 30 candidates across nine disciplines have been selected so far, while the final appointment process is still ongoing.
Besides a dearth of heads, the schools are also grappling with the fluctuating Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) in schools, particularly in rural areas.
While the official PTR in Baramulla is stated to be within prescribed norms -1:17 at primary and 1:20 at upper primary level, the ground situation reflects uneven distribution of teaching staff in schools.
The schools in rural areas are hit by lopsided PTR, as the majority of these schools are left understaffed despite having encouraging enrollment.
On the other hand, the schools in towns have surplus staff while having meagre enrollment of students.
Besides lopsided PTR, the schools are also grappling to increase enrollment in some schools, as the government figures reveal that since 2019, 1732 schools across J&K have been closed or merged due to zero or negligible enrollment.
Surprisingly, an annual expenditure of Rs 13,816 crores continues to be incurred on salaries of teachers previously posted in these clubbed schools.
Also, the official statistics have revealed that 3192 schools have reported less than 10 or zero enrolment since 2022, while 2500 teachers are still posted in these schools.
Government figures reveal that out of over 18,000 schools, 2,698 lack boys’ toilets, 57 lack girls’ toilets, and 78 have no drinking water facilities. These figures speak volumes about the infrastructure deficiencies in the schools.
Additionally, over 9000 schools do not have boundary walls and nearly 11000 lack playgrounds, raising serious concerns about the recreational environment.
In Baramulla district, several school buildings constructed under erstwhile schemes like SSA and RMSA remain incomplete due to cost escalation and transition to the Samagra Shiksha programme.
As per the official figures, around 13 such buildings have been identified in the Pattan area alone, out of which five buildings have suffered structural damage due to prolonged neglect.
Authorities have even recommended dismantling some buildings, while other structures require urgent completion to address space constraints.
These official statistics have come to the fore at a time when the government claims to bring reforms in the school education sector and has also declared 2026 as the year of academic excellence.
The official figures, also presented in the recently concluded Budget session of J&K Legislative Assembly, point out that the education sector continues to struggle with mismatched resource allocation, administrative hiccups, declining enrolment, and infrastructure gaps.
Minister for Education Sakina Itoo earlier said that the government education sector had been sick for the last 30 years and its cure cannot be instant.
She also acknowledged the deep-rooted issues in the education sector and said the department continues to face structural challenges.
She compared the current situation of the education sector to a chronic illness requiring sustained treatment rather than “quick fixes.”
