Saturday, March 15, 2025

22 High Schools in JK’s Shopian Without Headmasters, Reveals RTI

Kashmir Life: Srinagar: Saturday, 15 March 2025.
A Right to Information (RTI) request filed by activist Nasir Khuehami has revealed that 22 high schools in South Kashmir’s Shopian district are operating without headmasters, disrupting their functioning. Additionally, two higher secondary schools in the district are without principals.
Documents indicate that two high schools, upgraded under the erstwhile RMSA and SAMAGRA schemes HS Batafojan and HS Saidpora lack sanctioned headmaster posts.
“In Shopian district, six headmasters currently hold Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) powers for various headless institutions,” the RTI reads. It further reveals that the district has only one full-time Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) in Keegam.
Additionally, one ZEO is serving on an additional charge basis, while two others operate with DDO powers granted to principals.
Of the district’s 15 higher secondary schools, only four have full-time principals, while eight are run by in-charge principals and three by look-after principals.
The RTI findings also show that 67 lecturer posts remain vacant across various subjects, including Mathematics (11), Urdu (7), Political Science (6), Physical Education (5), English (5), Economics (6), Arabic (4), and History (4).
Meanwhile, parents in Shopian have expressed concern over the shortage of staff, particularly the vacant headmaster and principal posts.
They argue that the on-ground situation contradicts government claims of improvements in the education sector and have urged Education Minister Sakina Itoo and the Director of School Education to intervene immediately. (KNO)