Srinagar, Aug 03: In Jammu and Kashmir, ‘the teaching staff in government-run-schools have dropped by over 4800 in the past three years.’
According to the official figures available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a reduction of 4811 teaching staff since the academic year 2023-24 to 2025-26.
The figures reveal that in the academic year 2023-24, Jammu and Kashmir had a total of 96,370 teachers in government-run-schools that reduced to 94,202 in the academic year 2024-25.
Furthermore, the figures tabled by the Government of India (GoI) in the Lok Sabha states that in the academic year 2025-26 Jammu and Kashmir had only 91,569 teachers in government schools.
The GoI however clarified that the recruitment of teachers is a continuous process undertaken by the respective State Governments, UT Administrations in accordance with their recruitment rules and procedures.
“Vacancies arise from time to time due to factors such as retirement, resignation, creation of new posts consequent to enhanced student enrolment and establishment of new schools. The timeline for filling up such vacancies is also determined by the respective State Governments and UT Administrations,” GoI informed the house.
It also said that the GoI on its part periodically advises states and UTs to fill up vacant posts of teachers through transparent and merit-based recruitment processes, including through autonomous teacher recruitment boards or similar organisations.
As already reported by KNO, the government-run-schools in Jammu and Kashmir average less than five teachers per school and on the contrary private schools average more than 13 teachers per institute respectively—thus raising a question on quality of education being imparted to students.
The official figures in this had revealed that in the academic year 2025-16, Jammu and Kashmir sees government schools average with just 4.8 teachers per school.
However, on the contrary, private schools in J&K on an average have recorded 13.7 teachers per school.
It also reveals that despite having a dominance of 18,787 schools, the government is functioning the School Education Department with just 91,569 teachers and on the contrary, Jammu and Kashmir’s 5,397 private schools exert a huge human resource of 74,226 teachers.
Furthermore, the MoE figures had revealed that despite having only 5,397 private schools in Jammu and Kashmir, the private sector is educating nearly fifty percent of the total student enrolment with 12.89 lakh out of 26.53 lakh total enrolled students.
As per the fresh figures revealed by the MoE, private schools in Jammu and Kashmir average 239 students per institution.
The government-run-schools on the contrary, despite having 18,852 infrastructures, the department is managing only 51.4 percent students with 13.63 lakh students—averaging a mere 72 students per school.
Earlier this news agency reported that in Jammu and Kashmir, 1,544 schools are being run by single teachers each wherein more than 33,537 students are enrolled.
The Union Territory was also functioning with 188 such schools that were having zero student enrolments. Interestingly, 87 teachers are still deployed to these empty institutions, drawing salaries while teaching no one.
These figures were recently released by the Department of School Education and Literacy for the Ministry of Education (MoE) wherein the ministry has said that 1544 schools in Jammu and Kashmir are functioning with single teachers.
MoE had also said that there were 33,537 students enrolled in those 1544 schools that are functioning with single teachers.
Furthermore, MoE had said that 87 teachers are posted in such schools that are having zero enrolments and 188 schools are without any student enrolled. (KNO)
