Students bearing brunt of teacher shortage amid census duty: Education Minister

Education Minister Sakina Itoo has raised an urgent alarm over the deployment of thousands of teachers for ongoing census duties in Jammu and Kashmir, intensifying an already acute staff shortage that is severely crippling academic activities in government schools across the Union Territory. This critical disruption, acknowledged by the Minister on Friday, leaves students bearing the brunt amidst an academic session where crucial examinations are fast approaching, jeopardizing the promise of 'academic excellence' for 2026. The crisis is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a systemic issue, with J&K government schools grappling with chronic teacher vacancies — nearly 15,000 posts remain unfilled, with no major recruitment drives since 2017/2019. Nationally, deploying teachers for non-academic tasks like census work is a contentious practice, permitted by the Right to Education Act, 2009, but frequently criticized for diverting educators from their primary mission. Concurrently, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his National Conference government, sworn in October 2024, are intensifying their two-year-long campaign for the restoration of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, having recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press the demand and planning protests in New Delhi. The Supreme Court had, in December 2023, upheld the abrogation of Article 370 but also directed the Union Government to restore J&K statehood and hold elections. With the current census operations scheduled until September 2026, the Education Department is repeatedly urging authorities to find alternative personnel to minimize classroom disruption, a plea echoing across several Indian states facing similar challenges. The confluence of educational disarray and the renewed political push for statehood will likely fuel further public pressure on both the Union and J&K governments. As the monsoon session of Parliament approaches, watch for the National Conference planned protest in New Delhi, which aims to keep the statehood demand, alongside issues of governance and development, firmly in the national spotlight.