For the smooth functioning of an office or an institution, it is necessary that controlling officer or head of institution must be posted in all such office or institutions. It is well known to every one that such an officer is vested in several powers which are necessary to be used for smooth function of an office or an institution. No doubt sufficient Educated and well qualified officials have been posted in an office or an institution who have full knowledge about their duties and responsibilities but when a most experienced officer must be controling the smooth functioning of an office or he/she must be head of an institution then posibilities of more smart work must always be there. Thus in become apparent clear that it is necessary in the public interest that a controling officer or head of the institution must always be posted in an office or an institution.
When post of controling officer is vacant in an office or an institution then it’s drawing and disbursing powers are delegated to some other officer of equal or one step higher cadre who would have been working physically in some other office or institution and in such circumstance work of both the offices or institution suffer a lot. Thus it become apparent clear that there must always be full time own officer working in every office or an institution for its proper and smooth functioning.
Recently lists of vacancies of officers/officials of School Education were circulated on whatsApp which revealed that a large number of posts of Maters, Headmasters,Zonal Education planning officers,Zonal Education officers , principals of higher Secondary Schools and chief Education officers and it’s equivalent are lying vacant. Now if esteemed Government of Unionu territory of Jammu and Kashmir will take a decision to fill up all such available vacant posts then it will be interest of general public as has been discussed here in above and will also create promotion avenues in different cadres.
In Education department there are four types of official/officers who perform their duties for smooth functioning of different offices /Schools. These officials /officers includes class fourth employees, minisrtial staff , teaching staff and officers. Class fourth employees includes peon, safaiwala, chowkidar, orderly, labbearer, library beater, gasman, gardener, book keeper, attendants , malies ,ground coolies, waterman,Chairman, frashers and packers. Ministrial staff includes Junior Assistant, Senior Assistant, Account Assistant, Lib Assistant, Jr. Librarian, Librarian, head Assistant and section officer. Now teaching staff includes teacher , master and Lecturer.
Appointment of teachers is made by direct selection and also by promotion from Laboratory Assistant having qualification of 10+2 and above. Appointment of masters is made through promotion of trained graduate/postgraduate teachers with minimum three year teaching experience as teachers.
As far appointments of Lecturers is concerned fifty percent posts of Lecturers are filled up by direct recruitment by making selection of postgraduate candidates from the open market through public service commission and remaining fifty percent posts are filled up through departmental promotion committee by making promotion of Masters who would have passed postgraduation in a relevant subject from recognised University and if Master would not be available then by making promotion of postgraduate teacher with minimum three year experience as teacher. Now officers includes Headmaster of high School, Zonal Education planning officer, Zonal Education officer , principal of higher Secondary Schools, Chief Education officers and joint Director of School Education.
As far appointments of headmasters is concerned, master are promoted as in charge headmaster then incharge headmaster are promoted as in charge zonal Education officers. As far appointment of principals is concerned it is also made in two way. Eighty percent posts of principals are filled up by making promotion of senior Lectures as in charge principal and twenty percent posts are filled up by making promotion of in charge zonal Education officers as principal. There after principals are promoted as in charge chief Education Officers then in chagre Chief Education officers are promoted as in charge joint Directors. This indicates that incargeism is affecting the smooth and proper functioning of this most important department to a great extent.
No doubt regularization orders of incharge officers of the all the cadres of principals and above were issued by the Government of Union Territoey of Jammu and Kashmir during the year 2021 but unfortunately case of some officers are still pending for regularization due to the reasons that vigilance clearance in their favour is still pending .Hence some officers have been waiting for more than thirteen years for their regularization orders which have not been issued by the Govt in favour of officers placed as In charge of various higher posts in their own pay and grade with charge allowance as admissible under rules .Now after 2019 only look after officers are promoted but charge allowance is not allowed to them.
Due to delay in this regularization process many officers who may be at the verge of their retirement are severly discouraged because such officers have observed that many of their similarly situtated colleagues or seniors to them have retired when they were still working in incharge capacity and many have breathed their last when they were also working in the incharge capacity. A very strange situation becomes of the family members of such officers who have breathed their last when they had been working in the in charge capacity in one cadre or the other. The strange situation is because of the reasons that in some case when there is no any educated family member in the family of such officers who would have knowledge of procedures to be followed or documents to be attached with the files required for their regularizations.In this way family members of such deceased officers suffer a lot for want of regularization or getting sanctioned other retiral benefits of their family head who was the only bread earner in their family .
An other aspect worth consideration in this regard is that when some post(s ) have been created for different Schools or offices then filling up all such posts is necessary for smooth and proper functioning of all suh Schools or offices. when post of teaching staff especially posts of Maters or Lecturers would be vacancant then studies of the students will be affected badly which will have a bad affect on the career of students who are future of our country or the Nation . In order to churn out capable , efficient and competent candidates for serving the society in future in different departments it is necessary that for the smooth and proper functioning of all Schools may be made possible by filling up all the vacant posts of teaching staff. Besides it is well said that as is the head so is the School and for managing smart work from all the staff of a School or an office it is necessary that Head of the Institution or office would be posted in each School or office.
Now when an incumbent or an officer is promoted to a higher cadre post then a new hope, interest or desire of working is created in his mind with more commitment with dedication and devotion .His ability, capacity and capability also increase manyfold . He also gets an opportunity of making use of his experience for the smooth functioning of a School or an office when he would have been promoted to a higher post .From this point of view promotion of incumbents or officers is also necessary.
Now from the facts mentioned above it become quite clear that in the interest of the students ,Society and the Nation it is necessary that all the available existing posts of officers teaching or higher may be filled up at the earliest for the smooth functioning of various Schools or offices and in order to provide sufficient promotion avenues to all the incumbents of School Education Department.
This can be done by implementing SRO : 166 of 2005 dated:14-06-2005 in pursuance to which school Education department can refer the vacancies to the Public service commission or departmental promotion committee as the case may be at least twice in a year preferably in month of January and July every year and can also take necessary steps for having the meeting convened .In the this regard a rosters have already been fixed by public service commission for different departments and if the above mentioned SRO is implemented in letter and spirit then this genuine and important issuse can be resolved once for all in the best interest of incumbents of Education Department as well as the society .Moreover Adhoc- ism would also come to an end when this SRO will be implemebted and sufficient number of promotion avenues would also be created for all the incumbents of School Education Department.Not only this but implementation of this SRO will pave the way for creation of new posts for selection of unemoyeed educated youths .
The purpose of wrtiring this article is to apprise and request to Hon’ble Lt.Governor of Union Territory territory of Jammu and Kashmir , worthy Advisor in charge of School Education Department and worthy Principal Secretary School Education Department by publishing this article in this esteemed news paper that all the available vacant posts may be filled up in pursuance to the procedures laid down in SRO :166 dated 14-06-2005 so that all the officers can also be regularized and more and more promotion avenues can also be created for all the officers of this most important department which churns out all the employees for smooth functioning of a ll other departments .when SRO 166 will be implemented in letter and spirit then posts will also be created for fresh recruitment which will decrease the unemployement to some extent and this will be great step towards the proper development of Nation.
Author Mohd Shabir Khatana can be reached at
[email protected]
