Syed Rizwan Geelani
Srinagar, Oct 21: The School Education Department (SED) on Friday notified a revised list of vacant Junior Assistants posts in the department to be utilised for the transition of RReTs as General Line Grade II and Grade III Teachers.
The SED in an order has issued the district wise number vacant posts of Junior Assistants to be utilised for transition of RReTs as teacher Grade II and Grade III. An official said the revised posts were notified to rectify the errors which were reported in the list submitted in 2019 by the respective directorates.
Notably, in January 2019 the J&K government accorded sanction for creation of grade-II cadre of teachers in the school education department, with effect from September 2018. It also approved creation of 28,363 existing and anticipated vacant posts of General Line Teachers (GLTs) to the equivalent number of posts of grade-11 teachers. This was done to absorb the SSA teachers on substantive posts in the department in order to make them eligible for all service benefits like other state employees working in different government departments.
Besides, the government approved conversion of 4522 direct quota of non-teaching posts in different categories to an equivalent number of posts of teachers- Grade II.
“But that time there were some errors in the number of vacancies submitted by the concerned directorates of school education. To rectify the errors, the department consolidated the district wise vacancies of junior assistant posts and notified it afresh,” the official said.
He said these posts will be utilised for Grade II and Grade III teachers till the time when the concerned teacher gets promoted to next level of attains superannuation.
“Post retirement or the promotion, the vacant post of Junior assistant will be restored to its original position and will be utilised by the department accordingly,” the official said.
In wake of the revised number of vacant junior assistant posts issued by the department, The Jammu and Kashmir All Departments Clerical Staff Association (JKADCSA) has criticised the decision and demanded immediate revocation of the order.
“This is height of discrimination and step motherly treatment as the Education Department has ordered to freeze all posts of Junior Assistant of all districts across Kashmir division to provide easy path for regularisation of RET/SSA teachers,” the association said.
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