Kupwara, Oct 20: Government schools in Kupwara constituency are facing a shortage of teaching staff, with 123 posts lying vacant against 403 sanctioned posts of teachers, masters and lecturers, according to official figures.
The data shows that 206 government schools, from primary to higher secondary level, cater to 20,591 students across the constituency.
Of the 252 sanctioned teacher posts, 204 are filled, leaving 48 vacant. At the master level, 31 of 74 posts remain vacant, while the lecturer cadre has 44 vacancies against 77 sanctioned posts. The shortage at the master and lecturer levels stands at 75 posts.
The constituency has 102 primary schools, 85 middle schools, 13 high schools and six higher secondary schools. The overall pupil-teacher ratio stands at 1:20.
Subject-wise vacancies are also reported in several disciplines, including Education, Mathematics, Chemistry, English, Political Science and Sociology, highlighting staffing gaps across different levels of schooling.
The figures further show that 200 schools function from government-owned buildings, while two operate from rented buildings and four from rent-free buildings.
Meanwhile, the Education Department is considering a proposal to upgrade high schools in rural and far-flung areas to higher secondary level. However, no immediate proposal is in place to upgrade primary schools to middle schools or middle schools to high schools.
Infrastructure gaps, including inadequate classrooms, damaged buildings, boundary walls and toilet facilities, are also being assessed for phased improvement under existing education schemes.
