Srinagar: The surprise inspections by officials from the School Education Department (SED) to government-run schools has taken a lid off academic laxities in the academic institutions.
The surprise inspection teams formed the government to visit J&K schools have found grave academic lapses on part of school heads and teachers.
The government is now mulling action against the erring officials who have been served show-cause notices to explain their position.
The laxity in the academics in schools has forced the department to initiate disciplinary action against the heads of the institutions and the staff members found absent from their duties.
Over the past months, in many cases the inspection teams during their visit to the government schools expressed their displeasure over the academic lapses during working hours.
Recently an inspection team headed by deputy Chief Education Officer (CEO) made a surprise visit to a government high school in down town area of Srinagar wherein the school was found locked at 12 noon.
The Deputy CEO in its report said that the Chowkidar of the school and one teacher attended the school soon after the arrival of the inspection team at the school.
“All other staff members including Headmaster were found absent from duty,” reads an order issued by CEO Srinagar recommending disciplinary action against the school head and the other staff members who were absent from their duties.
The inspection team after inspecting the arrival (attendance register) found that some teachers had attended school in the morning and left the institutions after marking their attendance on the register.
Shockingly, it was found that the head of the institution closed the arrival register leaving some serials on the register blank which would enable absent teachers to mark their attendance next day or anytime as per their wish.
The authorities while taking strong note of the “gross dereliction of legitimate duties” have placed the staff, excluding the Chowwkidar and one teacher, of the institution under suspension.
“The laxity tantamount to gross dereliction of legitimate duties on part of the staff as well as the Headmaster concerned and warrants strict action under rules,” reads an order issued by CEO Srinagar.
“Suspension of the Headmaster concerned is also hereby recommended and action by Director School Education, Kashmir is requested,” it reads.
The CEO Srinagar has also written to the concerned treasury officer not to entertain salary bills of the said school till NoC is issued from the (CEO) office.
Earlier, the Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK) conducted a surprise visit to a school in Ganderbal district last week, only to return disappointed after witnessing the unexpected trends going in schools.
During his surprise visit, the DSEK saw teachers sitting idle while the students were seen roaming in markets in nearby areas.
The director expressed his displeasure over the incident and dispatched a note to the concerned principal of the higher secondary school seeking an explanation over the indiscipline in the institution.
The DSEK in his note said that on the day of inspection, the whole teaching staff was sitting idle in the school premises while as the students were seen roaming in the market. It was also found during inspection that only two classes of 9th Urdu and 11th Political Science were being conducted by the respective teachers in which the attendance of students in 11th class was only 21 while the enrolled students in the said class are 190.
An explanation was sought from the head of the school over low academic standards and laxity on the part of teaching staff in preparing the lessons.