Srinagar: In a latest development, the School Education Department is mulling to de-freeze 50 percent posts of General Line Teachers (GLT) which were utilised to absorb erstwhile SSA teachers against the substantiated posts.
The move, as per the official document, will pave the way for new recruitment of teachers in the department to overcome the dearth of teaching staff in schools.
As already reported, the then government in 2018 freezed hundreds of posts to absorb erstwhile SSA teachers as Grade-II and Grade-III teachers as per the SAC decision number 166/22/2018 taken on December 7 of 2018.
The decision to de-freeze 50 percent of the positions was taken during a meeting chaired by education minister Sakina Itoo on June 25 of 2025.
“While deliberating on the issue of shortage of teaching staff in view of subsuming of General Line Teacher (GLT) vacancies against the supernumerary posts created for RRET transition as per SAC decision 166/22/2018 dated: 07.12.2018, it was directed that department shall move a proposal for de-freezing of 50 percent of posts thereby extending the period from 2029 to 2034 so that new recruitment is undertaken through JKSSB to infuse fresh manpower to the department,” an official document reads.
Notably, freezing of teaching and non-teaching posts of School Education Department (SED) has blocked the recruitment for almost ten years as the then government had to absorb around 39461 erstwhile SSA teachers in the department.
In January 2019 the J&K government accorded sanction for creation of grade-II cadre of teachers in the school education department, with effect from September 2018. It also approved creation of 28,363 existing and anticipated vacant posts (6576) of General Line Teachers (GLTs) to the equivalent number of posts of grade-II teachers. This was done to absorb the SSA teachers on substantive posts in the department in order to make them eligible for all service benefits like other state employees working in different government departments.
Besides, the government approved conversion of 4522 direct quota of non-teaching posts in different categories to an equivalent number of posts of teachers- Grade II.
There has been no recruitment in SED post absorption of erstwhile SSA teachers as Grade-II and Grade-III teachers in the department.
Meanwhile in the meeting, the education minister has Project Director Samagra Shiksha and Director of Kashmir and Jammu division to monitor the progress of civil works for their timely completion keeping in view the working season in Kashmir division and hilly areas of Jammu Division.
