Jammu, March 30: Minister for Education Sakina Itoo on Monday said that the government will repatriate nearly 150 principals and lecturers to Gurez who are currently posted in Srinagar and Bandipora and hoped that there is no undue influence and recommendations from local MLA against the same.
Replying to a question raised by MLA Gurez Nazir Gurezi, Itoo said the government will sent back 150 principals and lecturers to their original places of posting to address staff shortages in the border constituency.
Earlier Gurezi raised concerns over acute staff shortages in eight higher secondary schools in Gurez. He said the schools were functioning without lecturers in core science subjects, including Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Botany.
Responding to the issue, Itoo informed the House that around 150 principals and lecturers belonging to Gurez and presently posted in Srinagar and Bandipora had been detached from their current postings.
“I will detach them from their present place of posting. I will send them back there. So please don’t give me any recommendations on that,” the minister said, asserting that administrative mechanisms were already in place to address shortages.
The MLA had urged that local candidates be appointed on a priority basis to prevent disruption of the academic session, stating that delays in recruitment could affect students. The minister clarified that contractual appointments are not practiced in school education.
The issue of staff shortages in Education Zone Gurez has been under scrutiny following an audit by the Principal Accountant General (Audit) in August 2025, which reported irregularities in the attachment of teachers from Gurez to other zones without formal approvals.
Subsequently, the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Bandipora cancelled the deployment of 34 teachers who had been appointed in Gurez but were serving elsewhere in the district. An order issued under No. CEO/Bpr/Estt/026/1277–82 dated February 19, 2026 directed the teachers to report back to their original postings with immediate effect.
The order stated that although deployments had been made through various administrative instructions, such arrangements were temporary and did not confer any vested right to continue at the place of attachment. It cited staff rationalisation and administrative review that revealed shortages affecting the functioning of schools in Gurez.
Residents of Gurez have previously raised concerns that several schools were operating with limited staff, impacting the pupil-teacher ratio and academic delivery in remote areas.
The minister added that genuine cases on health or marriage grounds would be considered separately and said she had directed the Director of School Education, Kashmir, to implement the repatriation orders.
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