No discrimination in teacher recruitment process: JK govt

The Jammu and Kashmir government today dismissed the charge of discrimination against Jammu and Ladakh regions in the recruitment of teachers in the state.
The opposition Congress and National Panthers Party (NPP) have demanded that the advertisement issued by the Service Selection Board (SSB) for filling 2,154 district cadre posts of teachers be rectified.
"A mere 15 per cent share for Jammu and zero share for Ladakh speak volumes about the discriminatory policy of the state government, which should immediately rectify the notification and ensure due share to all the three regions of the state," a Congress spokesman said.
Rejecting the opposition charge, a government spokesman said, "Teacher's post is a district cadre post and these posts, under direct recruitment quota, are referred to SSB from time-to-time, strictly as per the vacancy position in each district."

"The 2,154 posts of teachers referred to SSB this year is strictly as per the vacancies of teachers that have accrued in each district," the government spokesman said.
In 2013, he said the school education department had referred 7,434 posts of teachers to SSB under direct recruitment quota, out of which 4954 posts were from Jammu division alone.

"As many as 2480 posts were referred from Kashmir division based on the district-wise vacancy position, he said.
Clarifying that the department has not created any new post of teacher in recent time, the spokesman said the State Cabinet has already approved up-gradation of 400 government schools in the state from middle to high and high to higher secondary level.

"Once these 400 schools are upgraded as per norms, around 8000 additional posts of teacher and lecturer shall be created which would be distributed amongst all the districts in the state," he added.
While NPP activists led by party chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh staged a protest demonstration on the issue here, Chief spokesperson of JKPCC Ravinder Sharma demanded rectification of the notification and equal share to all the three regions.
SSB yesterday notified 2154 district cadre posts of teacher - 1296 general teacher posts, 644 science and math teacher posts and 214 Urdu teacher posts in the department of school education.