Kollam: What happens when there is no one to report vacancies to the Public Service Commission (PSC)? The Higher Secondary wing of the General Education Directorate is currently facing precisely that situation.

The post of Senior Administrative Officer (SAO) in the Higher Secondary section, which is responsible for reporting vacancies to the PSC, has remained vacant for more than a month. As a result, 475 vacancies for Higher Secondary School Teacher (Junior) posts across the state have not been reported to the PSC.

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With Plus One classes set to begin in just a few days, the delay is expected to worsen the existing teacher shortage and could disrupt academic activities. The situation is likely to become even more challenging as several teachers have been assigned census duties.

On May 23, as many as 475 Junior Teachers were promoted to Senior Teacher posts, creating an equal number of junior-level vacancies. However, these vacancies have yet to be reported to the PSC.

The officer serving as Senior Administrative Officer on deputation was relieved from the post on May 29 following a change in the administration. No replacement has been appointed since.

PSC rank holders awaiting appointments have been making frequent visits to the Directorate in search of updates. Initially, officials indicated that a new appointment would be made soon. They now say that the officer holding additional charge could report the vacancies. However, that officer is currently on leave, while section clerks have been deployed for census duties.

The 475 vacancies span 18 subjects, including Malayalam, English, Physics, Chemistry and Kannada. Chemistry has the highest number of vacancies at 54, while Kannada has the lowest with just one.

Under existing rules, the PSC is required to issue an advice memo within 20 to 30 days of receiving vacancy reports. The General Education Department must then issue appointment orders within 90 days. If both processes take the maximum permitted time, appointments could be delayed by up to four months, potentially affecting the smooth functioning of Higher Secondary schools well into the academic year.