Bandipora: The lack of staff at the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district has hampered the implementation of the National Educational Policy (NEP).
According to official records, only one out of the seven posts of Head of Department (HoD) are filled.
The remaining six posts, which are “very crucial for the institute’s functionality” have been vacant for a long time.
Moreover, eight out of 11 lecturer posts in the DIET are also vacant, leaving only three lecturers to work.
An insider said that the unfilled posts had almost “collapsed” the functionality of the institute, which has a primary role in implementing the NEP.
“The filling of posts is a primary and important requirement for the betterment of the teaching-learning process and to implement the policy fully,” he said.
An educationist Muhammad Haris said, “It is a concern that the district is grappling with a shortage of crucial posts.”
DIET is a primary institute to execute the new initiatives in the NEP and provide support and guidance to teachers through Heads of Institutions (HOIs).
“Without such trained faculty, it is very difficult to implement the new initiatives in the district,” Haris said.
Another official, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “If we want to disseminate and polish the policy, such trained faculty is the key to raising the educational standards of the district.”
The officials said that if the posts were filled “as early as possible”, they could see a turnaround in the educational scenario of the district.