JAMMU: After announcement of 2154 posts last week, the state government will be referring 8,700 more vacancies for the post of teachers to the Services Selection Board (SSB) which will be advertised next month, even as Education Minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari hinted at a big announcement for state's education sector in the upcoming budget session which is commencing from Tuesday.
"As many as 8700 more vacancies for teachers posts, in addition to 2154 posts referred already, will be referred to the recruitment agency to meet the dearth of staff in government schools, the minister said.
Reiterating government's resolve to meet the targets set in the rolled-out roadmap to fill critical gaps in infrastructure and staff in the education sector, Bukhari also hinted at big announcement for sector in the coming budget session.
"The Education Department is expecting some new initiatives to be announced by the Finance Minister Dr Haseeb Drabu in the Budget 2018-19 for this key sector," said Bukhari, while addressing a gathering at the annual day function of Government Girls High School Gandhi Nagar.
He said the government was tirelessly working on a well- defined roadmap to revamp education sector in the state which included consolidation of school infrastructure and meet the staff strength requirements in which the state still lacked.
Despite critical gaps, the school education department and teachers have shown great results in recent past, he said.
The minister took a dig over some political parties for playing politics over certain issues despite not having made much progress while remaining in power for several years.
"I have no hesitation in saying that the education sector has been continuously ignored over the last 70 years by these people, but despite that they are playing politics whenever the department comes up with new reforms and policies," he said.