Srinagar, Mar 27, KNT: In a peculiar case of bureaucratic favoritism, a government school teacher from Srinagar, instead of performing his teaching duties, has been handling administrative affairs for over a decade, raising serious questions about transparency and accountability within the education department.
Appointed in 2009, Ashiq Hussain Rather, a teacher by designation, has been kept away from classrooms since 2012. Instead of teaching students, he has been consistently assigned non-teaching duties, working at the Chief Education Officer’s (CEO) office in Srinagar and serving under various Deputy Education Planning Officers (DEPOs). Despite clear government directives against such practices, the teacher continues to evade school duties, allegedly due to strong influence within the department.
Recently, the Director of School Education issued an order on February 21, 2025, mandating the repatriation of all teaching staff who had been attached to administrative roles in different offices. The directive aimed to streamline the education system and ensure that teachers serve in their designated positions within schools. However, in a surprising move, instead of relieving the said teacher and posting him back to a school, CEO Srinagar recommended to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar that he be nominated as the Nodal Officer for the Hybrid Learning System in District Srinagar. The recommendation was approved the very next day, further strengthening Rather’s administrative hold.
Following this, the District Education Planning Officer (DEPO) Srinagar, who also serves as the District Vigilance Officer, issued a compliance report to the CEO Srinagar stating that Rather had formally joined Middle School Tulsi Bagh Srinagar on March 15, 2025. However, insiders reveal that the teacher has never joined the school, attended any class, or participated in school activities. Instead, he is frequently seen accompanying top officials, traveling in their vehicles, and sitting in their office chambers—raising serious concerns about his role and the vested interests shielding him.
The lingering question remains: Why is this particular teacher not being relieved from administrative work? What compels officers, especially the CEO Srinagar, to retain him in non-teaching roles despite clear government orders? The mystery surrounding this preferential treatment hints at a deeper nexus that requires immediate scrutiny.
Education activists and civil society members have expressed outrage over the matter, urging higher authorities to intervene and ensure that the education system functions with integrity. They demand that Rather be relieved from administrative duties and assigned to a school where he can fulfill his actual responsibilities as a teacher.
With growing public pressure and mounting evidence of administrative lapses, will the authorities take corrective action, or will this case of undue influence continue to undermine the education sector in Srinagar? Only time will tell.
