Plight of highly qualified teaching professionals in JK

Young people are a key factor in human resource development. They are considered as the driving force for social change, economic growth and technological advancement. The utilization of human resources to maximise production capacity and to facilitate economic growth and development has been one of the major critical challenges of the 21st century. Having a significant amount of young people out of work can negatively impact a community’s economic growth and development. If left unchecked, youth unemployment can have serious social repercussions because unemployed youth tend to feel left out, leading to social exclusion, anxiety and a lack of hope for the future. Given that almost 90% of all young people live in low-income nations, not feeling that a better life is possible can result in millions of young people floundering in poverty and frustration – bringing fragile nations down with them. Unemployment is a serious issue not only in Jammu and Kashmir but in the whole India. It is one of the major obstacles in the growth of our nation. Unemployment refers to a situation in which skilled and talented people cannot find a suitable job for themselves due to several reasons. Although the Present government has taken several steps to reduce unemployment it’s time that the government should take this issue more seriously. A large number of aspirants of J&K have obtained professional teaching degrees like B.Ed., M.Ed. from different Universities and teacher training colleges of J& K UT. But unfortunately there is no job policy for placement of these professionals, which creates lot of inconvenience for them and their families. Most of these professionals are at the verge of getting overage because of which anxiety, depression &; other mental disorders has increased at an alarming rate in Jammu &; Kashmir. The main reason for this is freezing of teacher recruitment since past four years & for subsequent years. According to the recent official report by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the Jammu & Kashmir has the highest unemployment rate in the country with 21.6 percent &it is a matter of great concern. This sudden spike in unemployment rate is the result of the mis-implementation of centrally sponsored schemes & unconstitutional orders/decisions taken by previous governments. It is quite unfortunate the mis-implementation of centrally sponsored schemes like SSA, RAMSA & state ReT scheme, not only increased the burden of unemployment but also violated the guidelines of NCTE, NEP 2020 & Supreme court directions regarding basic eligibility for recruitment of teachers in schools, which has a negative impact on achieving the national goals for strengthening the education system in our country.
The highly qualified youth of J& K having B.Ed., M.Ed., MPhil, PhD and other degrees who attained their eligibilities as per the guidelines of NEP 2020 &NCTE are badly suffering and deserve an ear. Below given are certain points to highlight their cause and concern. ? In 2018 the former State Administrative Council (SAC) took a decision vide decision number 166/22/2018 Dated 07-12-2018 in which it was decided that all ReT/SSA teachers will be regularised by converting them into Teacher Grade II &Teacher Grade III which resulted in filling all teacher vacancies available in school education department J&K. The number of ReT/SSA teachers is too large and it is expected it will take 10 to 15 years to adjust all of them. The decision is unconstitutional in nature as it deprives the highly qualified youth of J&K having B.Ed., M.Ed., MPhil, PhD and other degrees from participating in fresh recruitment process, which violates the Indian constitutional provision of Equality of opportunity for all(Article 16). ? As per National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), National Education Policy 2020 (NEP2020) &; directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court professional teaching courses like B.Ed., M.Ed. should be highly considered for appointment of teachers in School Education Department. Further the minimum eligibility for appointment of teachers must be Graduate with Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.). But unfortunately all these guidelines &; directions have been disregarded, leading to failure in the achievement of National goals. ? The syllabus in the recruitment test for teachers should be from the respective field itself, as per CTET norms.
(The author is a freelancer. Views are his own)
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