On 1st August 2025, the Higher Education Department of Jammu and Kashmir officially disengaged the Contractual Assistant Professors from various government degree colleges across the Union Territory. The reason cited: the academic session 2024–25 came to an end on 31st July 2025. However, what unfolded immediately after has left many educators, students, and education observers astonished and deeply concerned.

Ironically, within days of the disengagement, most colleges issued notifications regarding the commencement of classwork for 3rd and 5th semester students. The contradiction is glaring — how can classwork begin when there is no faculty to teach?
This is not a case of one or two departments. The harsh reality is that not a single college in Jammu and Kashmir has a fully sanctioned and available permanent faculty capable of handling the complete academic workload. Thousands of Academic Arrangement faculty members — who were once called the "part and parcel of the system" — are now sitting at home, waiting endlessly for a policy decision.
Take the example of the college where I was posted: there is not a single permanent faculty member in the departments of Psychology, History, or Arabic. The entire academic year was smoothly handled by contractual teachers who devoted themselves wholeheartedly to their roles. And now, in their absence, who will teach these subjects?
This crisis raises a fundamental concern: Is the department prepared to ensure academic continuity? The Director Colleges had previously assured that the system would be streamlined — but unfortunately, no such measures have materialized. We are now five days into August, and the academic machinery seems paralyzed. The disengaged teachers feel imprisoned in uncertainty, and students, who are now returning to colleges, are met with empty classrooms.
Even more disturbing is the way this situation affects student perception. When asked for feedback, many students openly express dissatisfaction and blame the system. While it may appear as if the institutions are at fault, the truth is that students themselves suffer the most in this chaos.
To add to this misfortune, in some cases, students have complained to Principals about irregular classes — unaware that there is simply no teacher appointed yet. This puts the college administrations in an awkward position where they are forced to defend an indefensible vacuum. One wonders, what can a Principal say, when there’s genuinely no faculty available?
This entire episode is not just unfortunate — it is damaging to the credibility of higher education in J&K. If immediate intervention is not taken by the authorities, we risk alienating both our educators and students from the very institutions meant to empower them.
The time for excuses is over. The Higher Education Department must act — not tomorrow, but today. Thousands of competent, experienced contractual teachers await re-engagement. Their absence is being deeply felt by the students, and the vacuum they’ve left behind is growing louder with each passing day.
It is not just a question of employment — it is a question of educational justice.

Email:-------------------aasifdar46@gmail.com