Kupwara, May 18: An RTI application has revealed a record number of lecturers are vacant in Kupwara district.

The RTI was filed by a Law student Tajamul Islam seeking details about the vacancies of lecturers from Director School of Education Kashmir (DSEK) said a total of 128 posts of lecturers are vacant in 18 Higher Secondaries and 12 High Schools in the district.

Official sources said that there are a total of 54 Higher Secondary Schools, 102 High Schools, 700 Middle Schools, and 894 Primary Schools functional in the remote district of Kupwara.

The RTI said that only 18 Higher Secondary Schools out of 54 replied to the RTI. It also revealed that only 12 out of 102 High Schools shared the vacancy figures.

Official sources revealed that the pending vacancies have left a vacuum in educational institutions. “It definitely impacts the smooth functioning of the schools given that teacher-pupil ratio is important. Also, it is very vital to have subject-specific lecturers available in the required numbers,” the official sources said.

These posts, officials said, are being subsidized by subject-specific RETs and General line teachers. “This has led to a shortage of teachers in elementary schools. People over the years, mainly students, have expressed their resentment given the dearth of lecturers,” they said.

In 2018, the School Education Department (SED) Jammu and Kashmir put a freeze on the recruitment process. In 2019, several employees were recruited based on an old advertisement.kno