SAC approves decision to streamline J-K's teaching cadre

In a decision aimed at streamlining the teaching cadre in Jammu and Kashmir, the governor administration Sunday approved the action plan recommended by a committee set up three months ago, an official spokesperson said.

The committee, constituted on August 13, was mandated to devise a comprehensive strategy to review issues of all school teachers in the school education department, including those funded under the ongoing centrally-sponsored scheme 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' and suggest possible solutions.

The State Administrative Council (SAC) met under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik here, considered the departmental proposal based on the recommendations of the committee and broadly accepted the action plan proposed by the committee, the spokesperson said.

He said the decision would enable streamlining the cadre of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers by transitioning them in the regular cadre of teachers and meeting the salary deficit of SSA and RMSA teachers, which is over Rs 1,400 crores per annum, out of the state budget.

"Thus, all the teachers will get a regular monthly salary on time consequent to the assimilation of various cadres of teachers into one regular teaching cadre," he said.

The spokesperson said this would result in greater accountability, discipline and capacity-building of teachers and improve the quality of education in the state.

Over the years, school education department has been facing immense difficulties due to multiple cadres of teachers, requirement of additional funds to meet out salary of both SSA and RMSA teaching faculty and a host of other related issues, which were directly or indirectly impacting the quality of education in government-run schools and leading to avoidable chaos and confusion among the teaching fraternity.

The committee submitted its recommendations in the form of an action plan to the government.

The SAC approved the creation of a separate cadre of teachers who will get the pay scale of Rs 29,200-92,300 (L-5) seventh pay commission from September 1 in the school education department, the spokesperson said.

He said these posts would be filled up 100 per cent by selection out of regularised (ReT) teachers with qualification "graduate from any recognised university".

This cadre of teachers is created exclusively for the purpose of adjusting ReTs and will gradually get extinguished or abolished over a period of time, he said.

He said the school education department would amend the Jammu and Kashmir School Education (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules, 2008 as may be required to give effect to this decision.

The spokesperson said the committee will submit its report to the government within a period of one month.