Arteev Sharma
Jammu: In a curious twist to the government’s campaign for providing “quality education”, teachers in Jammu North constituency appear to have developed an extraordinary ability to teach under roofs that its (government’s) own engineers have declared unsafe.
Of the 64 government schools in the constituency inspected by the engineering wing of the Public Works Department (PWD), as many as 50 (over 78 per cent) have been declared unsafe or dilapidated. But if the school buildings are struggling to stand, the teacher strength certainly is not, as the schools have more teachers than sanctioned posts.
According to the official figures, against 376 sanctioned teaching posts, as many as 567 teachers are currently posted in these schools, which means 191 more teachers than the sanctioned strength.
The constituency has 64 government schools from primary to higher secondary level, with a total enrolment of 7,762 students. These include 3,087 students in seven higher secondary schools, 1,870 in high schools, 2,169 in 24 middle schools and 636 students in 23 primary schools.
Minister for School Education Sakina Itoo, in a written reply to a query raised by the BJP MLA from Jammu North in the Legislative Assembly on September 25, stated that 50 school buildings in the constituency had been declared unsafe or dilapidated by the PWD engineering authorities.
She further informed the House that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had recommended Rs 90 lakh as financial assistance for seven school buildings that had been severely or fully damaged.
On August 31, the staff position showed a clear mismatch between sanctioned and actual strength. At every level, the number of teachers posted was higher than the sanctioned strength, with the largest gap recorded at the primary and middle-school levels. The primary schools had 62 teachers against 32 sanctioned posts, while middle schools had 217 teachers against 117 sanctioned posts.
Similarly, high schools had 189 teachers against 141 sanctioned posts, while higher secondary schools had 99 teachers and lecturers against 91 sanctioned posts.
The situation assumes significance against the backdrop of teacher shortages in Jammu and Kashmir. According to UDISE+ 2025-26 data, the Union Ministry of Education has recently reported 1,544 single-teacher schools in the Union Territory.
A senior lecturer in the Education Department posted in rural school of Nagrota constituency, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the unusually high number of teachers posted in Jammu North needs a closer examination of the teacher deployment and transfer system.
“Jammu North constituency, a large part of which falls within Jammu Municipal Corporation and urban limits, has often been considered a preferred destination for those seeking urban postings. The availability of urban allowances, including HRA, can make such postings more attractive,” he said.
He, however, stressed that the issue should be examined through official transfer and deployment records rather than assumptions. The lecturer also referred to allegations of influential persons managing favourable postings for family members, relatives or associates. “What is ironical is that the school buildings may have been declared unsafe, but the postings appear secure and safe,” he said, adding “The moot question is not merely about the number of teachers but whether their deployment is being made strictly according to student enrolment, sanctioned posts and educational requirements”.
Jammu and Kashmir had 18,748 teachers at the primary level, 38,988 at the upper-primary level, 17,578 at the secondary level and 16,255 at the higher-secondary level, taking the total to 91,569 teachers in government schools.
