Takes heavy toll on officers, several await promotions
By: Ahmad Shabir
Anantnag: With authorities failing to clear the promotions of officials in the education department, several education zones and higher secondary schools continue to remain headless.
However, the Zonal offices and HSSs are being looked after by the Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) and Principals of other zones and Higher Secondary Schools, thus simultaneously making them overburdened.
In one such instance, a Principal on of the Schools has been tasked to look after one education zone, having over 100 schools and four Higher Secondary Schools in Bijbehara, Srigufwara and Pahalgam areas.
Official sources said that the official is actually posted as Principal Higher Secondary School Marhama but has been given the additional charge as Principal of three other Higher Secondary Schools and one of the largest educational zones, Srigufwara which has more than hundred schools.
“It is not humanly possible for a person to run the administrative affairs of four HSSs and an education zone with around hundred schools but authorities hardly bother about it. They overburden the officers with additional charges but are sitting over the promotions of officials who could have been posted in these headless institutions and zones for their smooth functioning,” said an official.
The officer, he said, few months back had to look after six HSSs but later charge of two of them was assigned to other principal.
Besides, dozens of other HSSs and education zones in Anantnag and other district continue to remain headless for a year or two, official sources said.
Similarly another official of the department for nearly last two years has been looking after one education zone, a Higher Secondary School (HSS) and a High School in Aishmuqam area.
An official posted in one such HSS said that though these officers are putting all their efforts to ensure smooth functioning of these institutions, but still the teachers and the clerical staff have to face severe inconvenience in getting their official works done.
“These officers are virtually on toes throughout the day moving from one institution to other to ensure administrative affairs are not hit anywhere. But teachers in urgent matters, many a time, have to travel long distances to locate them to get their documents signed,” the official said.
Ironically, sources said, authorities have not been clearing the promotion cases of the officials, who are due for promotion as ZEOs or Principals.
A top officer in the department said that the authorities have now started clearing the promotion files of officials due for promotion as a result of which many headless institutions got heads in the last two to three months.
“Yes we still have many HSSs, zones or high schools without heads, which overburdens the officers holding additional charges,” the officer admitted.
