Srinagar: The delay in appointment of new Chairman JK Board of School Education (BOSE) and Director JKSCERT has taken a toll on the routine functioning of both the institutions.
Both the institutions are headless for the last more than three months post the completion of the two year term of former Chairperson JKBOSE Prof. Veena Pandita on June 30 this year. She was also holding the additional charge of Director JK SCERT.
Earlier on April 24, the School Education Department (SED) put the posts to advertisement following the constitution of two separate committees by the General Administration Department (GAD) for the appointment of the Chairman JK Board and Director JKSCERT.
The last date for applying for the post of Chairman JKBOSE and Director JKSCERT was fixed as May 25, 2022.
The committee was headed by the then Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), Health & Medical Education Department as its Chairman while Principal Secretaries to the Government of Higher Education Department, School Education Department besides the Vice- Chancellors of Jammu University and University of Kashmir were the members of the committee.
However on June 25, the government constituted the search committee afresh citing that no suitable candidate was found for the post of the Chairman JK Board and Director JKSCERT.
More than three months have passed since the new committee was constituted by the government, however, both the institutions are headless.
The charge of Chairman JK Board and Director SCERT has been given to the Principal Secretary School Education Department (SED) as his additional assignment.
However, the delay in appointment of the permanent Chairman for JK Board and Director SCERT has badly affected the function of these institutions.
“Decisions on all the official matters get delayed. because of the accessibility of the Chairman. When we have a permanent chairman, process on all the official matters and other student or exam related issues get expedited. But these days the issues get delayed because we do not have the permanent Chairman in Board,” a top official in JK Board said, wishing not to be named.
The official said following the government decision regarding change of examination session, some crucial matters are supposed to be discussed at Chairman Level. But all the policy matters get delayed because of the non-availability of a permanent Chairman,” the official said.
“Our Principal Secretary School Education Department is already overburdened with other important issues of the department and it is not possible for him to handle the matters of JK Board and SCERT simultaneously. It is not humanly possible for him,” he said.
Another official said the head office of the Board at Bemina is working like a sub office as the Secretary Board rarely visits Srinagar and remains stationed in the Jammu office. “So it becomes very difficult for us to process the file or to discuss policy matters,” the official said.
The official however acknowledged that the incumbent Principal Secretary expedited the process for appointment of Chairman JK Board soon after he joined the department.
“The second search committee was headed by the then additional Chief Secretary Vivek Bhardwaj who was transferred to the Government of India. But Alok Kumar got the file processed before the departure of Bhardwaj,” the official said.
Principal Secretary SED, Alok Kumar when contacted said the appointment of Chairman for JK Board was in the last stage as the committee has already conducted the interview of the shortlisted candidates.
“The final panel of candidates has been framed and submitted to the government for its approval. The appointment of the new Chairman Board will be made once the file gets approved from LG office,” Alok Kumar told Greater Kashmir.
“The whole exercise is complete but only the final approval is pending. I am hopeful that the new chairman Board will be appointed in the coming days,” he said.
About the appointment of Director SCERT he said the committee doesn’t have a finance secretary in the committee due to which the process got a bit delayed.
“I am at it. Either we will get the new committee framed or will go ahead with the interview of the candidates who have applied for the post of Director SCERT,” he said.