Sakeena Itoo reviews HRM Issues in School Education Department

SRINAGAR : Minister for Education, Social Welfare, Health and Medical Education, Sakeena Itoo, on friday reviewed the overall status of Human Resource Management (HRM) matters in the School Education Department, with particular focus on seniority finalisation, promotions, placements against higher posts, regularisation, recruitment and revision of service rules.
Chairing a high-level meeting at the Civil Secretariat here, the Minister took detailed stock of the progress achieved in disposal of HRM-related cases and directed the senior officers to maintain focused attention on all pending matters. She called for time-bound action, effective monitoring and close coordination among all concerned authorities to ensure that eligible employees do not face avoidable delays in service-related matters.
Sakeena Itoo stressed that an efficient and transparent HR management system is fundamental to the smooth functioning of the School Education Department and has a direct bearing on the academic and administrative efficiency of educational institutions. She directed the officers to ensure that all cases relating to seniority, promotion, regularisation and recruitment are processed strictly in accordance with the applicable rules and established procedures.
The Minister further called for expediting all pending cases while maintaining transparency and procedural fairness. She directed the officers to prepare clear timelines for disposal of the remaining cases and ensure regular monitoring at the appropriate level so that bottlenecks, wherever identified, are addressed promptly.
The meeting was attended by senior officers of the School Education Department, including Directors of School Education Jammu and Kashmir, Special Secretary and Additional Secretary. Officers stationed outside Srinagar participated in the meeting through virtual mode.
During the detailed review, the Minister was apprised of the significant progress achieved in finalisation of seniority lists. It was informed that final seniority lists of 21,323 PG Masters/PG Teachers across 32 disciplines have been issued during the last one year. Seniority lists pertaining to four remaining disciplines are under formulation. Besides, the final seniority list of 3,509 Headmasters/equivalent posts has also been issued.
The meeting also reviewed the progress made in placements against higher posts. It was informed that 197 PG Masters/PG Teachers have been placed as In-charge Lecturers in various disciplines. In addition, 672 incumbents have been placed against higher posts, including Principals as In-charge Chief Education Officers, Headmasters as In-charge Zonal Education Officers and Masters as In-charge Headmasters.
Thus, a total of 869 placements have been made against higher posts, reflecting substantial progress in addressing career progression and administrative requirements within the Department.
The Minister was further informed that consideration zones covering 988 PG Masters/PG Teachers have already been prepared for placement as In-charge Lecturers, while another 150 incumbents are under consideration for placement against other higher posts.
Reviewing the status of Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) proceedings, the meeting was informed that DPC consideration had earlier been completed for only 10 out of 36 subjects/disciplines, while cases pertaining to the remaining 26 disciplines, involving around 2,000 placements, are pending consideration.
The meeting was informed that consideration zones have already been prepared for multiple subjects as well as for CEOs/equivalent posts.
Taking note of the regularisation process, the Minister was informed that 53 incumbents belonging to different disciplines and cadres have been regularised during the last two years.
Sakeena Itoo directed the officers to ensure that all eligible regularisation cases are examined and processed expeditiously under the applicable rules. She emphasised that service matters should be dealt with in a transparent, objective and time-bound manner.
The Minister also reviewed the status of recruitment of Lecturers in the School Education Department. It was informed that against 594 Lecturer vacancies in 27 disciplines referred to the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC), 586 selections have been received.
Of these, appointment orders have already been issued in respect of 291 selected candidates, while the cases of another 213 candidates are under process following receipt of the requisite verification reports.
The Department has also initiated a fresh exercise to identify available Lecturer vacancies across different disciplines for referral to the J&K Public Service Commission.
The Minister stressed the importance of timely recruitment to address manpower requirements and strengthen the teaching workforce in the Department.
The meeting was further informed that revision of the J&K School Education (Gazetted) Service Recruitment Rules is underway. The final draft has been shared with the Heads of Departments for comments and will subsequently be submitted for the prescribed clearance process. The revision of the School Education (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules has also been initiated.
The Minister also reviewed the proposal concerning utilisation of teacher vacancies arising due to promotions and retirements. It was informed that a proposal for utilising 50 per cent of GLT vacancies for fresh recruitment had been examined. The proposal is being re-examined in light of observations received from the Finance Department and will be resubmitted thereafter. The Minister directed the department to submit the necessary queries related to the matter to finance department within weeks time.
The meeting also took stock of the cases involving higher qualifications acquired through distance/online mode. It was informed that a one-time exemption has so far been granted to 14,966 incumbents, including 7,377 incumbents in Jammu Division and 7,589 in Kashmir Division.
Sakeena Itoo directed the officers to accord the highest priority to pending HRM matters and ensure their disposal within the prescribed timelines. She called for continuous monitoring of seniority, promotion, regularisation and recruitment cases and stressed the need for effective inter-departmental coordination wherever approvals or clearances are required.
The Minister reiterated that the Government is committed to ensuring a transparent, efficient and rules-based human resource management framework in the School Education Department, aimed at strengthening both its administrative functioning and academic delivery.