K Koushal
Adopting a bizarre yardstick to streamline and protect the academic integrity of schools across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the school education department on one side instructs Deputy Commissioners to refrain from deploying teachers for non academic assignments, but on the other hand the department has maintained silence over deployment of teachers, Masters and Professors to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).
According to available documents, the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) have been instructed to refrain from deploying teaching staff for non-academic and administrative assignments.
The directive, issued via Circular No. 02-JK(Edu) of 2025 dated April 16, 2025, comes in response to growing concerns over the diversion of teaching personnel from their core duties.
The circular, signed by Shantmanu, IAS, Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary), School Education Department, points out that teaching staff have been deployed by Deputy Commissioners for tasks unrelated to their primary responsibility—delivering quality education to students.
The order emphasized that such practices hamper academic activities, especially in light of the acute shortage of teachers in government schools.
“Teaching staff are appointed primarily for academic duties, and their deployment for administrative tasks not only disrupts classroom education but also violates departmental norms,” the circular reads, adding that any requirement for staff outside the educational setup must be routed through the Directorate of School Education or the Administrative Department, for proper approval.
However, according to sources, the paradox plaguing the education department is that it is absolutely silent over a bizarre and unprecedented deployment of Masters, Teachers Professors from the School Education Department and Colleges to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Jammu and Srinagar.
“Despite the specialized nature of forensic work, the General Administration Department (GAD) recently sanctioned the deputation of 10 in-service Masters/Teachers/Professors to the FSL to serve as Assistant Scientific Officers and Lab Assistants, based on a 2020 advertisement from the FSL Directorate,” said sources, adding that this move has drawn sharp criticism from legal and forensic experts alike, who call it a “mockery of the justice system” and a step that could undermine the credibility of criminal investigations.
“This is unheard of in any part of the country. Forensic science is not something that can be handled by school teachers, Masters or Professors even if they hold master’s degrees of Doctrate in science,” said sources, adding that reports generated by such deputed staff may not withstand judicial scrutiny, especially when subjected to cross-examination in court.
They further highlighted that working in school labs of college labs is vastly different from conducting sensitive investigations related to criminal cases.
“FSLs require personnel trained by institutions like the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science. Instead of relying on ad hoc arrangements, the government should fill vacant posts through proper recruitment channels,” said sources.
Currently, the manpower crisis in the J&K FSL is stark. Several posts across key divisions like Fingerprints, Ballistics, Chemistry, and Explosives remain vacant, and even the DNA and Serology divisions are being manned by police inspectors, whose continued presence is uncertain due to impending promotions.
