Education Sector in Bandipora on crutches: 18 Schools without heads, 21 Higher Secondary Schools without Principals: J&K Students Association

• Seeks CM's intervention to end administrative chaos and save Bandipora's Education System 

SRINAGAR: The education system in Bandipora district is in a state of alarming disarray, plagued by severe administrative failures and chronic staffing shortages. An RTI filed by the National Convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, Nasir Khuehami, has unearthed shocking deficiencies in the district’s school administration. Numerous institutions are struggling due to unfilled leadership positions and an acute lack of teaching faculty, resulting in a deteriorating academic environment for thousands of students. 

Nasir Khuehami said that the education sector in Bandipora is on crutches, crippled by headless schools, staff shortages, and administrative negligence. Once known for its intellectual legacy and academic promise, Bandipora is now witnessing the steady collapse of its education infrastructure. He stated that the RTI filed with the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department has exposed a deeply unsettling reality, schools operating without heads, an absent and disengaged administration, and a system gasping for reform. 

From primary schools to higher secondary institutions, the district’s educational backbone is buckling under the weight of chronic mismanagement. The findings highlight a grim picture of institutional abandonment and policy paralysis. One of the most alarming revelations is the widespread absence of full-time Headmasters and Principals. This leadership vacuum has resulted in a dysfunctional, ad-hoc governance model where existing staff are forced to take on additional administrative duties without the requisite authority or institutional backing. Such an arrangement is severely undermining academic governance, rendering institutions rudderless and ineffective. 

The crisis is particularly severe in higher secondary schools. The absence of subject-specific lecturers and full-time Principals is depriving students of quality education. As per the RTI reply, 18 high schools in Bandipora are operating without Headmasters, while 18 out of 21 higher secondary schools do not have full-time Principals. Of the 21, only three have in-charge Principals, and the remaining 17 are being managed by ‘look-after’ Principals, assigned the role as an additional responsibility. Alarmingly, only four of these schools possess Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) powers, leaving the rest administratively handicapped and unable to function effectively. 

The situation is exacerbated by a severe shortage of subject-specific lecturers. Bandipora district is currently grappling with 163 lecturer vacancies, including 27 in Political Science, 19 in Urdu, 15 in Education, 16 in Mathematics, 12 each in Physics and Economics, 10 in History, and many more across other subjects. This acute faculty shortage is having a devastating impact on the academic performance and future prospects of students. With these vacancies remaining unfilled, thousands of students are being denied quality education, their aspirations stifled and potential unrealized. 

Without immediate and decisive government intervention to fill these posts and restore administrative order, students in Bandipora will continue to suffer under a broken system. He said that,  Urgent and sustained action is essential beginning with the prompt appointment of qualified teachers, restoration of robust administrative structures, and empowerment of institutions with appropriate leadership and autonomy. 

Khuehami urged Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take immediate action by filling the vacant posts of Headmasters and Principals to re-establish effective school administration. He emphasized the urgent need to recruit lecturers across all academic subjects to ensure delivery of quality education. He also called for an end to the practice of assigning multiple administrative roles to a single individual, citing that it leads to inefficiencies and severely compromises institutional performance. 

He asserted that the education system in Bandipora is crumbling under the weight of administrative neglect. "Schools cannot function without proper leadership, and students cannot thrive without teachers," he said. "The government must act swiftly before this crisis causes irreversible damage to the district’s academic future." Khuehami added that, If the situation is left unaddressed, thousands of students risk suffering long-term academic setbacks, further widening the educational divide in the region.