The recent rationalization process of teaching staff across the Kashmir Valley has been marred by allegations of unfairness and favoritism. Several rationalized teachers have alleged that no specific parameters were adhered to during the process. Some teachers informed the news agency, Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that the rationalization process is supposed to consider parameters such as subject specialization, enrollment, qualifications, and length of service.
“However, it seems that no such parameters were taken into account,” one teacher stated. Another teacher mentioned that subject specialists, such as Math and Science teachers, were assigned to primary schools, while general line teachers were instructed to teach Math and Science in secondary classes. “Furthermore, teachers with over 10 to 15 years of service were not affected, while those with less tenure were rationalized,” he added.
Some of the rationalized teachers highlighted the acute shortage of staff, especially Math and Science teachers, in high schools, particularly in Srinagar. “But no action was taken to address this issue,” one teacher remarked. Another teacher attributed the favoritism in the process to the fact that Cluster Heads were tasked with rationalizing the staff. “They recommended teachers based on their personal preferences,” he claimed. “The concerned CEO Offices approved the list of teachers from the clusters without verifying if the parameters were followed,” he continued.
Previously, a rationalization list was prepared by the Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and forwarded to the director for approval. However, the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) rejected that list and instructed the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to conduct a rationalization process at the cluster level.
“This has caused chaos in schools as staff members are not being distributed logically,” a teacher remarked. “Teachers who should be assigned to primary schools are working in high and higher secondary schools, and vice versa,” he added. The teachers urged the authorities to thoroughly review the list of rationalized teaching staff and address any instances of unfairness or alleged favoritism.
Meanwhile, an official from the School Education Department stated, “It was not feasible to rationalize the teaching staff at the zone level, so the responsibility was delegated to the cluster heads.” When asked about the parameters for the rationalization process, the official mentioned, “The only parameter being followed was the Pupil-Teacher Ratio.”
