Srinagar, Mar 24: The education system in Anantnag district is in shambles, crippled by administrative chaos, rampant adhocism, and a severe shortage of staff, reveals an RTI.
The RTI filed by the National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), Nasir Khuehami has revealed a deeply unsettling reality—schools operating without leadership and an administration that has abdicated its responsibilities, leaving thousands of students in distress.
“The absence of full-time Headmasters and Principals in many schools has created a leadership vacuum, forcing officials to take on additional responsibilities, resulting in a crippling lack of structured oversight. This ad-hoc approach to governance has left educational institutions directionless, severely impacting academic administration and the quality of learning,” the association said in a statement issued here.
It said the RTI revealed that 59 schools in District Anantnag are operating without Headmasters, while 12 higher secondary schools have no Principals. “26 Headmasters have been assigned additional charges, and the role of Principal in these higher secondary schools is being handled as an additional assignment by officers of equivalent rank. Among the 48 higher secondary schools in the district, only five have full-time Principals, while 14 are managed by in-charge Principals, and 29 are being overseen by look-after Principals,” it added.
The crisis is further exacerbated by an alarming shortage of subject-specific lecturers, depriving students of quality education, the JKSA said, adding, “The RTI revealed that 376 lecturer positions are currently vacant in the district, with critical subjects such as Urdu (48), English (47), Education (34), Political Science (27), Physics (24), History (20), Mathematics (22), Chemistry (21), and Economics (17) facing an acute faculty crunch.”
Khuehami has urged the government to take immediate corrective measures to address the crisis. He emphasised the urgent need to fill vacant positions, appoint full-time school heads, and ensure structured academic governance to prevent a further decline in education standards.
“If urgent steps are not taken to fill these vacancies and streamline administrative responsibilities, the students of Anantnag will continue to suffer from an education system that is failing them at every level,” Khuehami said. He urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and restore normalcy in Anantnag’s education sector before it is too late.
