Baramulla, Sept. 3 -- The online attendance monitoring system of the School Education Department (SED) has flagged large-scale absenteeism in north Kashmir, with as many as 1698 employees, including senior officers, missing from duty on September 1, 2025.

The list of defaulters features not only teachers and non-teaching staff but also senior functionaries such as Chief Education Officers (CEOs), Deputy CEOs, and Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs). Among those named absent are CEO Bandipora Altaf Hussain Tara, Deputy CEO Bandipora Dr. G. M. Pujoo, CEO Baramulla Bashir Ahmad Shah, CEO Kupwara Mehraj U Din Shah, ZEO Sopore Fehmeeda Akhter, and ZEO Singhpora (Kalan) Saif-ud-din Chichi.

According to KNS, the absentees include not just field st...