J&K Education Department to Fill All Principal Vacancies; 136 Senior Lecturers Promoted: Sakeena Itoo

JAMMU, APRIL 02, 2026: Minister for Education, Sakeena Itoo, informed the Legislative Assembly today that the government is in the final stages of filling all vacant Principal positions within the School Education Department (SED) across Jammu and Kashmir.

Responding to a Calling Attention Notice moved by Legislator Javid Hassan Baig during the 2026 Budget Session, the Minister revealed that 136 Senior Lecturers were placed as in-charge Principals between December 2025 and January 2026.

Furthermore, the promotion process for 114 Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) to in-charge Principals is nearing completion, which will address the leadership vacuum in schools throughout the UT, including the nine Higher Secondary Schools currently without Principals in the Baramulla constituency.

To address immediate teaching requirements, the Minister highlighted that 594 Lecturer vacancies have been referred to the JKPSC, with selection lists for several subjects expected shortly.

In the interim, the department has implemented a strategic placement of PG Masters and Teachers as in-charge Lecturers; since the start of the year, 145 educators have been elevated across the disciplines of Geography, Dogri, and Political Science.

For specific gaps in Baramulla, 27 experts have been deployed to Higher Secondary Schools to ensure students receive subject-specific instruction.

Minister Itoo assured the House that additional elevations in other academic disciplines are in the pipeline to ensure every school in Jammu and Kashmir is fully staffed with qualified subject specialists.